For neutrals, it was perhaps the inch-perfect script. A low-scoring, edge-of-the-seat thriller, with the pendulum constantly swinging one way then the other, culminating in a last-ball finish where all three results were possible.
From an Indian perspective, however, it was a sour finish – as Australia just about managed to get over the line in a 127-run chase to win the first T20I of the two-match series at Visakhapatnam on Sunday, 24 February.
The game in a tweet (pretty much):
Okay, that description may be a little harsh on Umesh Yadav. But the pacer was guilty of letting slip the improbable advantage fellow quick Jasprit Bumrah had provided to India with a top-notch 19th over, where he conceded two runs and took two wickets to leave Australia needing 14 to win off the last over.
Yadav couldn’t keep the visitors down, and Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson – batting at eight and nine – took Australia home in a thrilling finish.
That didn’t stop social media from bursting in appreciation of Bumrah, who was playing his first game since spearheading India’s charge to a historic maiden Test series win in Australia.
Even Hardik Pandya, spending the series at home after being ruled out due to a stress injury to his lower-back, was left awestruck by his Mumbai Indians teammate.
Bumrah’s heroics couldn’t, eventually prevent an India loss – and a rare one, at that.
The result at Vizag ended an over 16-month long run since India’s last defeat in a T20I at home – incidentally against Australia too, the last time they came visiting in 2017.
The first half of the match had seen India squander a promising start to be held to a below-par total of 126/7. 50 of those runs came from the blade of KL Rahul, playing his first international game since his ill-fated appearance on Koffee With Karan.
Rahul aside, India’s batting was a limp effort, as the hosts slipped from 69/1 in 8.3 overs to 100/6 at the end of the 15th. MS Dhoni played out the rest of the innings in the company of India’s extended tail, with Umesh Yadav batting as high as number eight.
The former captain finished unbeaten on 29, but took 37 balls in doing so – 18 off which were dot balls. It prompted an oft-sighted debate across social media, while handing the 37-year-old a statistical ignominy.
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