Livewire Kohli squares it up
– Captain Virat Kohli (above) smashed an unbeaten 61 to steer India to victory with two balls to spare in the third and final Twenty20 against Australia yesterday, ensuring the series ended all square.
The prolific batsmen lived up to his reputation, coming in when the two openers, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, fell in quick succession after an entertaining 68-run partnership to prevent Australia earning bragging rights ahead of their four Test series starting next month.
The home team won a nail-biting and rain-affected first match in Brisbane by four runs, with the second in Melbourne abandoned due to persistent showers.
“I thought overall skill-wise we were better today,” said Kohli. “When our openers get into the zone they are difficult to stop. There were a few nervous moments in between, but [for me] it’s always easy when the guys at the top do what they do.”
After losing the toss and being told to bowl, India restricted Australia to 164/6, with all-rounder Krunal Pandya taking four wickets and D’Arcy Short top-scoring on 33.
Despite losing, Australian captain Aaron Finch said he was proud of the team.
“The way we fought was outstanding,” he said. “Still fair bit of work to do but we’re going in the right direction which is nice. Feeling good for the Tests.”
Australia were boosted by strike bowler Mitchell Starc being back for his first T20 international in two years, replacing Jason Behrendorff.
Australia’s inconsistent batting has been a concern since the ball-tampering scandal in March.
Finch had much to prove, having only managed a top score of 41 in 10 innings across all formats. He crunched a four off Khaleel Ahmed in his first over to signal an attacking intent.
At the other end, Short also looked in good nick and they ran well between the wicket to build a 50 partnership.
Finch was given a second life on 23 when Sharma dropped an easy catch, but he didn’t last much longer, getting a top edge to Pandya off Kuldeep Yadav and he was gone for 28 off 23 balls. – AFP
When our openers get into the zone they’re difficult to stop. Virat Kohli, Indian captain