India vs Australia: India lack finishing touch in opener
INDIA’S QUEST for a finisher in white-ball cricket, the T20 format in particular, has now lasted nearly two-and-a-half years. It can perhaps be tracked back to the time MS Dhoni lost his finishing touch. On Wednesday, it seemed like they’d come close to finding a solution, a temporary one anyway. It came courtesy Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant, incidentally the two identified by the national selectors as potential replacements for Dhoni. For, when the two wicket-keepers got together and put on 53 in 23 balls, they not only brought India back in the match; they provided some hope the team had found themselves a finisher or finishers.
It was good while it lasted, but not good enough just like India’s quest to starting their Australian campaign on a winning note as they went down by four runs by the DLS method at the Gabba in Brisbane. The visitors were set a target of 174 after a heavy downpour kept Australia’s innings to 17 overs, in which they reached 158/4.
The cameos from Pant and Karthik brought India’s equation from a rather difficult 60 runs in 24 balls to a feasible 18 from 10 balls. India were still in with a chance despite Pant’s departure for 20 at that point as Krunal Pandya walked in at No.7. Krunal, however, struggled to get away, and after manufacturing a couple of runs off the first ball in the final over, conceded a dot ball before holing out in the deep. Karthik was out the very next ball with India left needing 11 off 3, and that was the match.
Karthik and Pant had got together after Shikhar Dhawan fell to a short delivery from the very tall Billy Stanlake after laying the groundwork for the run-chase with a strokeful 76 in 42 deliveries. It was the opener who held the run-chase together while the high-profile Indian top-order failed to deliver. Rohit Sharma, for a change, couldn’t kick-start a limited-overs series in Australia with a big score as he fell early to an attempted hoick that resulted in a scoop that landed up in the back-pedaling Aaron Finch’s hands. Then on came Adam Zampa to take out KL Rahul and Virat Kohli.
Daily Dose 