India vs Australia 4th T20I Live Score: Matthew Wade won the toss and chose to bowl first. Both sides have made a number of changes, four for India and five for Australia. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad put up a 50-run opening partnership before the former fell off the last …Read More ball of the powerplay. India were pegged back with Suryakumar and Shreyas Iyer both falling within a few balls of each other but Rinku Singh led a fightback with a 48-run stand for the fourth wicket with Gaikwad that came in 31 balls. Jitesh Sharma then stayed up with Rinku’s strike rate and the pair put up 56 runs fort the fifth wicket off just 32 balls. It was a bit of a collapse for India after that with Ben Dwarshius and Jason Behrendorff taking two wickets each in the 19th and 20th overs. Rinku couldn’t quite stay till the end, falling off the first ball of the last over bowled by Behrendorff on 46 off 29. Deepak Chahar then fell off the third ball and Ravi Bishnoi was run out off the last, thus leaving India’s tally at 174/9 in 20 overs.
India’s ambitions of sealing the series were bludgeoned by a Glenn Maxwell tsunami the other night in Guwahati, but the Boys in Blue are back again, rejuvenated and energised for the fourth match of the series against a very-different looking Australia. The reigning ODI World Champions have released as many as six players from their squad – Maxwell included – and brought in some young blood, pretty much like their Indian counterparts, but don’t for a moment think it’ll make India’s job any less challenging, who are up 2-1 and searching for a win that will do the confidence of this bunch of youngsters a world of good.
Under Suryakumar Yadav, this emerging Indian team has been nothing short of sensational. Thrice in three matches have their batters posted a total in excess of 200, which is no mean feat. In the second at Thiruvananthapuram, they even defended a mammoth 235 by 35 runs, but weren’t a second time lucky two nights ago. Maxwell, continuing his rich vein of form, smoked a 48-ball century to take Australia home in a last-ball thriller. India felt the void of Mukesh Kumar, who in the first ODI had conceded just 5 in the final over, as Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh were in for a severe beating. Both pacers combined to leak 112 runs from eight overs, and the outcome of the match was sealed.
But for tonight, Mukesh is back. Granted a leave for his wedding, the India quick will once again lead the attack, giving Prasidh some breathing room. With most of these players embarking on their journey to South Africa to play the respective format series, finishing against the Aussies on a high and a winning note would be high on their agenda. Especially the batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who have done justice to the wealth of talent they possess. With their emergence, along with the presence of Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and the guiding light of Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I batting depth appears scary good.
As for Australia, among the six players to be released are Maxwell, Josh Inglish, Steve Smith, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis, all of whom have been a thorn in their eyes. The reason behind the decision to let them go is believed to be the upcoming Test series against Pakistan, for which some of the guys need a break following a near-two-month long and gruelling World Cup. Youngsters Josh Phillippe, Ben McDermott, Ben Dwarshuis and Chris Green would be eager to make a mark.
Another run fest is on the cards at Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. In a series where already 123 fours and 65 sixes have been clubbed, expect a few more tonight. In the only international match played at this venue, India beat New Zealand in an ODI by 8 wickets, first dismissing the Kiwis for 108 and then chasing it down with 179 balls to spare. Expect nothing similar tonight though as with the T20 World Cup set to go on the floors in six months’ time from now, India and Australia would be eyeing respective gains.
Here are some highlights around IND vs AUS 4th T20I:
– Matthew Wade won the toss and put India to bat first
– Rinku Singh scored 46 off 29 while Jitesh Sharma scored 35 off 19
– Yashasvi Jaiswal got India off to a strong start with a 28-ball 37
– India scored 174/9 in 20 overs
– Travis Head got Australia off to a flier, smashing 22 runs in the third over bowled by Deepak Chahar
– But Ravi Bishnoi dented their progress with a wicket off his first ball of the match
– Australia have made five changes while India have made four
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
