Melbourne: Josh Hazlewood clinically dismantled a famed Indian top-order with a probing spell to kill the contest as Australia cantered to a four-wicket victory in the second T20 International here on Friday.
In front of a 82,438-strong crowd, India suffered one of its most embarrassing defeats with as many as nine batters failing to reach double digits in a total of 125 in 18.4 overs.
Only Abhishek Sharma, in the form of his life, stood tall amid ruins with a combative 37-ball-68. With Harshit Rana (35 off 33 balls) he added 56 to take the total past 100-run mark after pacer Hazlewood (3/13) left them reeling at 49 for 5.
Hazlewood bowled an incredible 15 dot balls in his four-over spell to break the backbone of Indian batting and killed the contest within 20 minutes of start.
In reply, skipper Mitchell Marsh blasted his way to 46 off 26 balls with hosts completing the chase in 13.2 only overs, losing three wickets in the process. Australia lost six wickets primarily due to their batters attempting audacious shots.
The only silver lining apart from Abhishek’s innings was Varun Chakravarthy’s spell (2/23 in 4 overs) and Jasprit Bumrah’s (2/26 in 4 overs) pinpoint yorker to dismiss Matthew Short.
Most of the Indian batters found it tough to hit through the line due to extra bounce and the lengths that Australian pacers, especially Hazlewood hit during his spell which he finished in one go.
While technique of a few batters lay exposed, the Indian team management wouldn’t take the results to heart as the T20 World Cup will be played in Indian conditions, where most of the deliveries will not rise above knee roll.
There will be minimal seam movement, and wickets offering a bit of grip will help Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel way more.
But with three matches left in the series, Indian batters could take a leaf out of Abhishek’s book after he burnished his credentials as world’s numero uno T20 batter with some breathtaking strokes.
Abhishek played some outrageous shots on the off-side: slashes, check drives and lofted strokes, to race to a 23-ball half-century in his maiden appearance at the iconic venue, while others made a beeline towards the dugout.
His knock comprised eight fours and two sixes.
What worked for Abhishek was his ability to use the crease and ride the bounce at the same time but in the back-10, he was left frustrated with the lower middle-order batters who could not rotate the strike.
He didn’t get strike for close to five overs as Rana faced bulk of the deliveries and later the likes of Shivam Dube and Kuldeep Yadav also consumed many balls.
At 110 for 8, Abhishek took it upon himself as he hooked Xavier Bartlett for a six and prior to that a boundary as the total reached 125.
Hazlewood, immaculate as ever, bowled the Test match length consistently in the 6-8m region, getting just the right amount of movement that had the top order in a tangle.
He softened Shubman Gill (5) with a well-directed bouncer that needed a mandatory concussion test after the batter survived a leg-before appeal to a fuller incoming delivery first up.
When Hazlewood bowled a fullish length outside off-stump, the Indian vice-captain’s chip shot to clear the mid-off fielder didn’t yield result as Marsh grabbed an easy catch.
Before Gill would have cooled his heels, Nathan Ellis’ nip-backer found Sanju Samson (2) plumb in-front and he wasted a DRS review, aware that he won’t survive.
Hazlewood then bowled what would easily be the ball of the game. He first bowled a short ball that skipper Surya had gloved trying to pull but Josh Inglis grassed it on second attempt.
The next delivery was a pitched up that saw the Indian skipper develop cold feet. There was no feet movement and the body squared up and the shade outward movement kissed the outside edge of his bat before falling into the keeper’s gloves.
Two balls later, Tilak Varma (0) edge one from Hazlewood. The ball ballooned up for Inglis to complete formalities.
Once Axar was run-out, Harshit and Abhishek steadied the innings, but the former played and missed often to put more pressure on the latter.
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