IND vs AUS T20 Cricket News

India's top three fired in unison as Australia once again took a 2-0 lead in the T20I series at Trivandrum. The bowlers won by 44 runs before Yasswi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan scored half-centuries to take India to a mammoth total of 235/4.

India dominate the power play

More often than not, the powerplay sets the tone in a T20 game and India's performance with both bat and ball in this phase put them in control. When India were asked to bat first, Yasswi Jaiswal went berserk. After scoring 12 off 12 balls after three overs, Jaiswal unleashed fury on Shaun Abbott, ripping him for 4,4,4,6,6 in one over. He smashed Nathan Ellis for three consecutive fours in the last over of the Powerplay to shock the visitors. But his entertaining cameo ends in the same over. But his 53 off 25 balls put India in a great position from which they could dominate.

At least for a short period of time, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan Jaiswal did not score at the same pace. After scoring 77 runs in the Powerplay, India added just 29 runs in the next five overs despite not losing a wicket. Ishan looked particularly tough before a six off Marcus Stoinis helped him break the chain. The left-hander then took on Glenn Maxwell and scripted an impressive turnaround with two sixes off Tanvir Sangher as he brought up his fifty off just 29 balls.

Ultimate development

Like Jaiswal, Ishan also died shortly after scoring his second consecutive fifty in the series. Suryakumar Yadav then thrilled the crowd with his trademark flick over fine leg with a first-ball six and another six off Adam Jumper. Although he didn't entertain beyond that, Gaikwad brought up a fifty at the other end and took over from where Rinku Singh left off the other night in Vizag. Abbott, who had already taken a beating, was again mercilessly carted around as Rinku toned down two sixes and three fours and India scored 45 in the final two to post a formidable score before Ellis conceded 20 in the last over.

Once again powerplay boss India!

After the first two overs, the hosts went down with the bat in the powerplay but it took them another two overs to take charge of the ball. Australia were on a flyer as Matthew Short and Steve Smith set Prasad Krishna to a 20-run target in his opening over. But the move to bring Ravi Bishnoi into the attack immediately paid off as his googly was packed short. A brilliant catch from Tilak Verma saw last game's centurion Josh Inglis depart cheaply this time, before Akshar Patel rounded off the powerplay for India with a big wicket of Maxwell.

Have visitors recovered?

A bad start means they have to play catch up. Smith's wicket reduced them to 58/4 but briefly helped their cause. Stoinis came in with intent and started with a four and hit Bishnoi straight over his head for back-to-back sixes. The chase was well and truly revived when Team David free-hit a six with a hat-trick of boundaries off Mukesh Kumar to take Australia's run rate past 10. Five were brought to the delivery site. Australia needed 105 runs from the last eight overs, not just the pace but the dew on their side.

Petni

However, in what turned out to be an anti-climax, Bishnoi took a wicket in his last over to bring India back into the game. A miscue from David saw him depart for 37 and a well-set Stoinis took him to the pavilion in the next over. With two dangerous batsmen gone, India were all over the visitors and picked up regular wickets to kill any hope of anything better. Matthew Wade's tempting strike at the death could only narrow the gap. 

India 235/4 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 58, Yashasvi Jaiswal 53, Ishan Kishan 52) beat Australia 191/9 in 20 overs (Marcus Stoinis 45; Ravi Bishnoi 3/32) by 44 runs