India staged a remarkable comeback in the last two overs to beat Australia by six runs, while the Proteas cruised to a comfortable win against the Kiwis in Brisbane.
Mohammed Shami’s brilliant last over saw a dramatic change of fortunes for India, who were on the ropes for much of the Australian chase, as Rohit Sharma’s men earned a six-run win at the Gabba in Brisbane on Monday.
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Needing 11 to win from the last over after being set 188 to win, a mixture of Shami’s bowling nous, Virat Kohli’s fielding, and a lack of composure from the hosts gave India the narrow win. Four wickets fell in the last over after Australia was on course, courtesy of Aaron Finch’s aggressive 54-ball knock of 76.
After being put into bat by Finch, skipper Rohit was merely a spectator as Rahul came out all guns blazing in the powerplay. Rahul was at his elegant best, easily picking up boundaries and bringing up a quick-fire half-century. The opener’s knock was peppered with six fours and three sixes before being removed by Maxwell for 57, which came from just 33 deliveries.
After Rahul’s belligerent start, the Australian bowlers somewhat put the brakes on the scoring and quickly removed Rohit Sharma, Kohli, and Hardik Pandya. However, Suryakumar Yadav continued from where he left all season and brought up yet another half-century. The Mumbai batter, once again, was a picture of class and innovation as he displayed his full range of strokes. Dinesh Karthik started well but couldn’t kick on to give India a 200-plus total.
Suryakumar’s thrilling knock (50 from 33) ended tamely as a Kane Richardson full-toss hit the bottom of his bat and gratefully fell into the bowler’s hands. It was one of Richardson’s four dismissals, and he was quickly Australia’s best bowler as senior pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins had a rare off day.
A total of 187 looked formidable, but the Australian top order’s aggressive intent put the Indian bowlers on the backfoot straight from the powerplay. Mitchell Marsh played a critical cameo to get the ball rolling for the Aussies before being bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
While Steve Smith didn’t hurt India, Glenn Maxwell certainly did during his 16-ball stay. Maxwell also suffered a nasty hit on his face after a Yuzvendra Chahal delivery deflected off his bat and struck him near the eye. The big-hitting batter wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time.
Finch was happy to rotate the strike and took calculated risks to clear the fence. India’s fielding also left a lot to be desired at that stage. After the game, Rohit admitted that his side should have had at least another 20 runs on the board.
With two overs remaining, Harshal Patel produced an inspiring moment to keep India’s hopes in the game alive in the 19th over, bamboozling the well-set Finch with a slow yorker that had loop and accuracy. In the next delivery, Kohli’s majestic direct hit removed the dangerous Tim David as India roared back into the contest just as it slipped away from them.
Shami was handed the final over, his first of the match, with 11 runs needed and it was Kohli who produced another moment of beauty; running sideways and plucking out a breathtaking one-handed catch at long on, centimetres away from the boundary ropes to send Cummins back. Panic hit the Australian dressing room and the Australian lower order was no match for Shami’s toe-crushing yorkers as India completed a remarkable victory, showing nerves of steel in the death overs.
South Africa emerged comfortable winners against New Zealand in their warm-up tie at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane following a fine display from the Protea spinners.
After being put into bat, New Zealand were going steady at 53/2 in the eighth over before an extraordinary collapse, masterminded by Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, saw the Kiwis being bundled out for just 98.
During their chase, South Africa wasted no time as the New Zealand bowlers were sent on a leather hunt by openers Rilee Rossouw and Reeza Hendricks. Rossouw was the pick of the batters and finished with an impressive 54 from just 32 balls as South Africa cruised to victory with more than eight overs to spare.
Wayne Parnell earned his side a breakthrough in the first over of the match, undeterred after being hit for a six by Finn Allen. Parnell also removed skipper Kane Williamson, who struggled for fluency during his 12-ball stay at the crease.
Martin Guptill and Glenn Philips steadied the ship, and Maharaj and Shamsi broke the back of the New Zealand top and middle order, picking up five wickets between them. Aiden Markram also chipped in with a wicket, and so did talisman Kagiso Rabada, who bowled just a solitary over.
Hendricks and Rossouw wasted no time bringing down the target. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi got the only wicket for his side but South Africa was already close to completing the win.