India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has thrown his full support behind opener Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive batting style, even after India suffered a four-wicket loss to Australia in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Sharma emerged as the standout performer in an otherwise dismal showing for the Indian side.
Abhishek’s impressive knock of 68 runs off just 37 balls was a rare highlight as India was bowled out for a mere 125 runs in 18.4 overs. Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh’s rapid 46 off 26 balls, comfortably chased down the target in just 13.2 overs, leveling the series.
Suryakumar praised Abhishek for sticking to his natural game despite the early collapse and wickets tumbling around him. “Abhishek has been doing this for quite some time now. He knows his game and his identity,” the skipper stated during the post-match presentation. “He is not changing it anymore and hopefully he sticks to it and plays many more knocks like this for us.”
The captain, however, did not shy away from acknowledging India’s batting woes in the powerplay, which severely limited their chances of recovery. He credited Australia’s new-ball attack for expertly exploiting the conditions. “The way he (Hazlewood) bowled in the powerplay, if you’re four down in the powerplay it’s difficult to recover from that. Well bowled…” Suryakumar conceded.
Indeed, India’s top order crumbled, losing Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar himself, and Tilak Varma within the first five overs. Hazlewood was the chief destroyer, bagging 3 for 13 in a blistering spell. A resilient 56-run partnership between Abhishek and Harshit Rana later helped India limp past the 100-run mark.
Looking ahead, Suryakumar stressed the importance of replicating the disciplined performance seen in the rain-affected first T20I in Canberra. “I think we need to do what we did in the first game. Bat well when batting first and then come out and defend,” he asserted.
On the opposing side, Mitchell Marsh lauded his bowlers for laying the groundwork for Australia’s victory. “It was a good toss to win. Bit of moisture and Hoff (Hazlewood) is a great bowler when there’s something in it,” Marsh commented.
Man-of-the-match Hazlewood expressed satisfaction with his form, stating, “So just trying to put the ball in the right areas and see what happens. Everything feels in a good place and ready to go (for the Ashes).” Hazlewood will miss the remainder of the T20I series to prepare for the first Ashes Test, scheduled to begin on November 21.