India’s Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma put on a strong batting display, but Australia managed to pull things back in the fourth T20 International match held in Raipur on Friday. India finished at 174 for nine after being in a commanding position at 167 for four in 18.3 overs. Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that paid off as their bowlers Ben Dwarshuis and Jason Behrendorff took crucial wickets in the last two overs. Rinku Singh scored a quickfire 46 off 29 balls, while Jitesh Sharma contributed 35 off 19 balls.
The match began with Aaron Hardie bowling a maiden over, but Yashasvi Jaiswal quickly got India going with a delightful cover drive off Jason Behrendorff. Jaiswal continued his aggressive approach and hit three boundaries off Ben Dwarshuis in the third over. Ruturaj Gaikwad played a supporting role as Jaiswal attacked the Australian bowlers. Gaikwad opened his account with a boundary off Behrendorff’s delivery.
Jaiswal’s attacking innings included hitting debutant spinner Chris Green for a four through the off-side and a six over midwicket. However, his aggressive approach eventually led to his dismissal as he tried to hit Hardie for another boundary but could not connect well enough, resulting in a catch for Ben McDermott. India reached 50 for one at the end of the powerplay.
Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, returning to the side after the World Cup, also fell cheaply, caught by Green off Tanveer Sangha’s bowling. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav then casually edged Dwarshuis to the keeper, leaving India at 63 for three in the ninth over.
However, Rinku Singh provided a much-needed boost to India’s innings with his powerful strokes. He added 48 runs for the fourth wicket with Ruturaj Gaikwad before Gaikwad was dismissed by Sangha. Rinku continued his aggressive approach and found support in Jitesh Sharma. The duo added 50 runs in just 29 balls, lifting India’s run rate.
Unfortunately, Jitesh Sharma was dismissed when he was looking set to score more runs. This triggered a collapse in India’s batting line-up as they lost five wickets for just seven runs in the last two overs. Dwarshuis and Behrendorff were the key contributors to Australia’s bowling attack.
Despite the late collapse, India managed to set a challenging target of 175 for Australia. The match showcased some impressive batting performances but also highlighted the importance of maintaining composure in the final overs.
