The second T20 match between India and Australia unfolded something hardly anyone had anticipated. India came out to bat first and lost four wickets in the powerplay.
The entire team was all out for just 125 runs. Australia chased down the target in 13.2 overs to take a 1-0 lead.
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Hazlewood created a stir
Josh Hazlewood took three wickets for just 12 runs. He bowled Test-match length, but the ball bounced so much on the MCG pitch that the Indian batsmen were taken aback.
Abhishek Sharma top-scored with 68 runs off 37 balls, leaving no one else able to sustain.
Abhishek said: “I haven’t seen anything like this in T20s. It was something new for me as a batter who wants to dominate. But he had a plan, and he executed it perfectly.”
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He explained that the plan was to dominate the top order, but the pitch betrayed them.
“They caught the spot as bowlers, their line and lengths were perfect.”
Harshit’s Surprise Entry
When the team was 49 for 5, Harshit Rana was sent in at No. 7. Abhishek finally found a partner. The two shared a 50-plus run partnership.
Abhishek said: “I knew Harshit would bat (at No. 7). He has hit a lot of sixes off me in the nets. This was the plan – he came and told me to play a little normally.”
Harshit handled the situation well. His right-left combination also worked. But wickets kept falling in the end, and the team was all out with 8 balls remaining.
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Abhishek admitted that the bounce and pace surprised everyone. “We knew they would take advantage of the extra bounce and pace, and that they’d bowl on a hard length. But as a batting unit, I felt a little surprised by the amount of bounce and pace.”
Australia showed discipline. Hazlewood set the game up. India are now behind in the series.
