Bowlers script 9-wicket Indian win in rain-curtailed match

Photo: BCCI

New Delhi: India knocked off the 48-run target in 5.3 overs after rain reduced the match to 6 overs to win the first T20I at Ranchi by 9 wickets via Duckworth-Lewis and Stern method.

In a first, India were thrown a tricky task of chasing 48 in 6 overs after rain played spoil sport in Ranchi. But Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli displayed commendable match sense to approach the target in a calculative manner even after losing Rohit Sharma with just 11 on board.

Dhawan on his return remained unbeaten on 15 and he was ably supported by captain Virat Kohli, who scored 22 to seal the Indian victory.

Earlier, in a sensational display of accurate bowling, India got six Australia batsmen bowled to restrict them to 118 for 8 in 18.4 overs when rain arrived to close their innings after India opted to field first in the first T20I at Ranchi.

The Australian innings got off to a worst possible start with captain David Warner (8) chopping a Bhuvenshwar Kumar delivery on to his stumps in the very first over of the match. To the nightmare of Australia Warner was only the first of the six to lose his stumps on Saturday night.

On a pitch that offered a fair bit to the seamers, it was the Indian spinners who started to rein in visitors, who had started the repair works after Warner’s early wicket through Finch and Maxwell.

Australia were off to a flyer with 50 runs coming off 37 balls but Chahal provided the vital breakthroughs, dismissing his bunny Glenn Maxwell for a fourth time in four games.

Maxwell, who is often called 'Big Show' for promising much and delivering too little as he gave a simple catch to Bumrah at short mid-wicket.

This was after Kuldeep dismissed Aaron Finch (42) and Moises Henriques (8) off successive overs.

It was Finch's dismissal that brought about Australia's downfall.

Finch looked in fine form with four boundaries and one six but against Yadav, he looked determined to play the sweep shot.

After playing five sweep shots, Yadav bowled one fuller that breached his defence.

The wicket virtually sent alarm bells ringing in the Australians camp as Yadav and Chahal went through the middle overs restricting their flow of runs before Bumrah's twin bursts in the 18th over.

Yadav finished with figures of 2/16 in 4 overs, complemented well by Jasprit Bumrah's (2/17 in 3 overs) tyoe crushing yorkers. Yuzvendra Chahal (1/23 in 4 overs) also played his part to perfection.