The first T20 between India and Australia was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. India lost the second, and a lot of decisions from the team management were under the scanner. Many experts questioned the reshuffling in the batting order, while others were surprised to see Arshdeep Singh not being included in the final playing XI.
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch seemed surprised to see India's leading T20 wicket-taker, Arshdeep Singh, warming the benches.
Finch Slams Arshdeep's Exclusion
- Finch believes Arshdeep Singh should have been in the playing XI at least for the third T20. Of course, he mentioned that too many batters would actually hamper achieving the right balance of the team. Finch is of the view that though this year's T20 World Cup may be the reason for experimentation with the side, the bowling unit will also play an important role in succeeding in any big tournament as well.
- He continued that India's bowlers were unsuccessful in the second T20 primarily because of the low total on the scoreboard. "If there had been more runs, the result might have been different," Finch pointed out. In this match, Harshit Rana was included in the final XI instead of Arshdeep Singh.
Abhishek Sharma's Brilliant Innings
- Finch also praised Abhishek Sharma's attacking batting. He said that even when wickets kept falling around him, Abhishek remained positive and started batting confidently. His attacking batting matched the Aussie bowlers.
- However, Finch did say that Mitchell Marsh managed to pull things back for Australia as he tied Abhishek up, and thus controlled the innings. “If Abhishek had faced more deliveries, India could have scored higher, making the chase harder for Australia,” Finch said.
- In the second T20, Team India was bowled out for 125 runs. Abhishek Sharma scored 68 runs and Harshit Rana contributed 35 runs while no other batter reached the double-figure mark. Australia chased down the target in 13.2 overs to take a 1–0 lead in the five-match series. The third T20 will be played in Hobart on Sunday.
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