India have taken the lead in the five-match series with a 48-run win in Carrara, which leaves this weekend’s Brisbane fixture as a must-win for hosts Australia to square the contest.
On an unknown surface in what was just the third men’s international at Gold Coast Stadium, India’s batting appeared confused as to what approach to take. Nobody made it to 50, with Shubman Gill’s laboured 46 the highest contribution to a total of 167/8 in 20 overs.
It proved a total well beyond the reach of Australia, who like India, also struggled for partnerships. Axar Patel, whose unbeaten 21 off 11 balls earlier in the evening had been a crucial knock, bowled a miserly spell of 2/20 from his four, Shivam Dube’s slow bouncers duped the big-hitting pair of Mitchell Marsh and Tim David, and three wickets at the death to Washington Sundar sealed a massive victory for the top-ranked team.
After Marsh won the toss and chose to bowl, as he always does, India’s innings proved a stumbling affair. Apart from Gill, four others made it to 20 but none went past 28. Nathan Ellis was the pick of the Australian bowlers with the wickets of Gill, Dube and Washington for the cost of 21 runs. Adam Zampa, in his first game of the series, claimed 3/45 from his allotment.
India’s openers put on 56 in 6.4 overs without really looking in top gear. This was the most subdued version of Abhishek Sharma anyone has seen inside the Powerplay block. Just three fours, 13 off 14 balls after five overs and 22 from 18 after six. He played and missed first ball, charging out to Ben Dwarshius, then repeated the shot and was put down by Xavier Bartlett running in from sweeper cover.
His preferred slaps past the inner ring did not come off with regularity, neither did his hacks into the leg side. It was only until the sixth over, bowled by Marcus Stoinis, that Abhishek found some fluency with two fours.
Gill was initially more fluent, with a preference to turn the ball legside for his runs. But unless given room outside off stump, India’s vice-captain resorted to stabbing the ball past the fielders for his off-side scoring. India closed out the Powerplay on 49 for no loss.
As soon as he saw Zampa, Abhishek was down the track to launch the spinner’s first ball for six. But Zampa won that battle, getting his man caught at long-on third ball for 28.
Dube failed to cash in on a batting promotion to No 3, making 22 off 18 balls before he was cramped by a slower delivery from Ellis and lost his leg stump. Gill slowed down after that wicket, to the extent that one stage he was crawling at 37 off 35 deliveries. A huge swipe six off Stoinis just after he successfully reviewed an lbw verdict – saw Gill attempt to shift gears, but he only made it to 46. Back came Ellis, and with it the wicket of Gill immediately when the batsman failed to read a slower ball.
Suryakumar Yadav departed four runs later, well taken by David inside the deep midwicket boundary when India’s captain hacked across his pads but made a mess of the timing on that shot.
Zampa’s third over had gone for 18 runs as Suryakumar got going with successive sixes, but he ended the evening with a double-wicket over to turn figures of 1/39 from three into 3/45 from four. Tilak Varma, who was struggling against Bartlett, tried to reverse sweep Zampa but ballooned up a catch for Josh Inglis, and then Jitesh Sharma was out lbw when attempting a conventional sweep.
Axar hung around to make an unbeaten 21 off 11 balls, which in the end proved handy, but his biggest role in the match was ahead.
Marsh was dropped on 21 by Abhishek, a tough running catch put down in the deep off Varun Chakravarthy. He had played second fiddle to Matt Short in an opening stand worth 37 in 29 deliveries, with his temporary partner hitting a handy 25 off 19 balls with two sixes and two fours before he was out lbw to Axar.
