India needed 13 runs in the last over to win the opening T20I against Australia at the Gabba on Wednesday. With Dinesh Karthik at the crease, the Indian fans expected a stunning victory as the veteran Indian batter has been finishing such close affairs recently. But Marcus Stoinis came prepared with a lethal plan to outclass the men in blue.
The 29-year-old Aussie all-rounder first removed Krunal Pandya off the third ball and then hunted Karthik down off the very next delivery. Karthik tried to clear the boundary but terribly failed against Stoinis’ magical slower ball and was caught at long-off by Jason Behrendorff.
Here’s the video:
After the match, Stoinis revealed that it was a well thought-out plan to take pace off the ball in the death overs against India.
“Finch spoke to me earlier in the day and said that me bowling in the final overs would be an option, especially if Adam Zampa plays. It was a pretty simple plan for us – take pace off the ball and make them hit to the long boundary. I just committed to that one hundred per cent and it was a clear plan,” he said after the match.
With this amazing victory, Australia now lead the 3-match series 1-0. The next T20I will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.