Speaking on ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar Expert Aaron Finch on India’s Performance and Bowling Attack
It wasn’t a massive shortfall in target, but a few extra runs could have made things very interesting.
“The first over that Bumrah bowled was really good and gave the Australian openers some headaches. But after that, Harshit Rana went for a bit of punishment, Travis Head did most of the damage early on, and then Mitchell Marsh joined in later. There just weren’t enough runs on the board for the bowlers to defend. It wasn’t a massive shortfall in target, but a few extra runs could have made things very interesting.”
On Arshdeep Singh’s absence from the squad:
“Arshdeep Singh should be in the team. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t make it back for the next game. One thing I’ve learned about T20 cricket, when you go in with too many batters, sometimes the responsibility gets diluted. Batters subconsciously assume someone else will get the job done. But if you play one fewer batter, it’s amazing how often the rest step up. India clearly has the World Cup in mind, and this series is part of that process of finding the right combinations to win that tournament.”
On Abhishek Sharma’s performance and key positives for India:
“This was one of Abhishek Sharma’s better innings in terms of the composure he showed. Batsmen like him force you into a corner. And when he gets on a roll, it's almost impossible to stop him. And batting with the lower order is not easy; they find it hard to rotate strike. They'll be able to swing the bat. They'll be able to find boundaries. Rotating strike is not one of their strengths, and that’s what we saw when Abhishek and Harshit were batting, and I think that'd be one area that India will look back on. But I thought Mitchell Marsh also captained exceptionally well to make sure that Abhishek was stranded down the other end for a lot of that first innings.”
Speaking on 'Cricket Live', JioStar Expert Parthiv Patel analysed India’s tactical decisions and team balance:
"There are positive takeaways like Abhishek Sharma's batting and Varun Chakaravarthy's bowling, but the team management faces crucial decisions. They must determine the optimal combination regarding playing two wrist spinners in Australian conditions and whether to strengthen batting at number eight by including a bowler like Harshit Rana, who can bat instead of a specialist like Arshdeep Singh. Additionally, the toss strategy raises questions; despite significant dew, India intended to bat first. This decision requires examination, especially since local groundsmen confirmed heavy dew formation during evening matches."
On Shubman Gill's role and batting approach in the T20I series:
_"As vice-captain, Shubman Gill's contributions naturally remain crucial, though the primary discussion revolves around team composition rather than the established opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma. Regarding Gill's approach with the bat, he possesses the ability to play aggressive shots down the ground and match Abhishek's intent, but he doesn't need to replicate that style. His strength lies in timing the ball beautifully through the mid-on and mid-off region without resorting to cross-bat shots, which is what he did in the first T20I in Canberra. Given his experience and reading of the game, he can afford to set his own tempo, much like he did during the Asia Cup, rather than altering his natural game and playing like his partner Abhishek Sharma in this series."
