Press Trust of India
Melbourne, Jan 28: After a sound thrashing in the ODI series, the Indians will aim to close out the T20 series when they face Australia at the MCG here Friday. A comprehensive 37-victory has boosted the Indian hopes and they will want to carry on the momentum when they face Aaron Finch’s side. However, this time around the job may not be all that easy with the expected return of ‘Mad Max’ Glenn Maxwell into the Aussie team.
But then India have the advantage of playing at the MCG which has a history of helping the spinners. In the last game, the duo of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowled well picking up four wickets for only 49 runs in their total quota of eight overs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be hoping that the two carry on the good work Friday.
Ashwin meanwhile talking to reporters here stated that he has been given the license to go for wickets irrespective of the runs conceded. “Overall this series has been dominated by batsmen,” Ashwin said. “But I feel that I have got the necessary skills to pick up wickets at regular intervals even when the opposition is attacking me. I am not intimidated by them.”
Ashwin returned after a break of three games in Adelaide, and he opened the bowling with Ashish Nehra. Later, he returned to bowl in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja, and helped script India’s win with figures of two for 28.
“I think in the first over I bowled well (in Adelaide), there wasn’t anything wrong with the way I bowled, it’s just that I went for runs. Throughout the ODI series, be it Nathan Lyon or Kane Richardson, they have gone for 70 runs or more than that. So it’s about picking up wickets and having the confidence to bowl the good ball again and again,” asserted the off-spinner.
Dhoni, in all probability will not opt for any changes given the fact that both Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya did not have much chance to display their batting prowess. India, in all probability, will retain the same XI which delivered the goods at Adelaide. Dhoni is not prone to changing winning combinations and he will just hope that his boys come good once more, Friday.
