The India vs Australia T20I series was billed as action series. The 1st game was promising to be a tantalising clash only for rain to cut it short. Nonetheless, there were still some takeaways for the Men in Blue, particularly with Suryakumar Yadav returning to form.
Here at Insidesport.IN, we look at 3 major takeaways from the IND vs AUS 1st T20I
1. Mr.360 is back in the business
Suryakumar Yadav’s early T20I career saw him combine aggression with consistency to become perhaps the the finest player in the format. He dominated run charts consistently, scoring in strike rates above 160 to define India’s batting revolution. However, since being elevated to captain, Surya has suffered a dip. He averages close to 11 and his strike rate also shades closer to a run a ball. However, on Wednesday, the India t20i captain was back to his best. Yadav stroked a fluent 39 not out, before rain called the game off. It might not be much, but it could be start of yet another Suryakumar Yadav run.
2. India’s leading wicket-taker not automatic selection
Arshdeep Singh has been India’s premier fast bowler in t20Is. However, the only Indian with 100 t20I wickets now finds himself in a flux. Singh is suffering the same fate as Yuzvendra Chahal did when he was India’s leading spinner. Arshdeep is not first choice anymore with Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the t20I set up. Harshit Rana leapfrogged him to selection in Canberra, while Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya held onto the spots in the Asia Cup. Despite no fault of his own, Arshdeep is now a backup at best.
3. Spin it to win it?
Former India coach Ravi Shastri had famously called for his team to take the pitch out of the equation. Now, under Gautam Gambhir, India seem to be following that approach. Despite the pace friendly pitches of Australia, the Men in Blue named 3 spinners in the playing XI over playing IPL star pacers like Arshdeep Singh. It helps when you have the quality of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, but it could well be risky.
