India-Australia T20I series sees Virat Kohli back in form, and what else happened
India won the three-match T20I series against Australia after winning the third and final T20I at the at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday (September 25). India defeated Australia by six wickets to clinch the series 2-1. Virat Kohli's 63 off 48 balls and Suryakumar Yadav 69 off 36 balls were key in India sealing the series.
As the series comes to an end, we take a look at three key takeaways from the series:
1. Virat Kohli's return to form: Kohli, who had been struggling with his form for quite some time, seems to have finally got back to his best. In the last match, the 33-year-old looked solid as he scored 63 off 48 balls with three fours and four sixes. In the Asia Cup, he hit his 71st century after a gap of nearly 3 years.
With the T20 World Cup less than a month away, it is a good news for India as the top order of the Indian team, especially Kohli. who bats at number third position, is back in form.
2. The emergence of Suryakumar Yadav: Yadav hs been in the form of his life this year in the T20Is. Since the start of his innings on Sunday, he got into action and let the required run rate out of control.
His shot against Daniel Sams over long-off across the boundary was arguably the best shot of the match. It even attracted a praise from former Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri, who called it the shot of the match. "Shot of the match bhai," Ravi Shastri said from the commentary box. For his quick knock of 69 of 36 balls, Yadav was also declared the player of the match.
In the first T20I against Australia, Yadav had scored 46 off 25 balls. He will be a big plus point for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup.
3. Pace bowling dilemma: Though India won the series against Australia, bowling remains a big concern. The bowlers had failed to perform in the first T20I when Australia succesfully chased down the 209-run target. Bhuvnneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel and Umesh Yadav had failed to stop Aussies from scoring quick runs. In the last match against Australia, Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless in four overs and gave away 50 runs.
The spinners like Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal have been quite good in the series against Australia. Patel took 3 wickets conceding 33 runs in his spell of four overs on Sunday. Chahal also bowled well as he gave just 22 runs in four overs and took one wicket.
Pace bowling has been a big issue for India in this series and it might go against team's chances of winning the T2I World Cup next month. Before the World Cup, India will play South Africa for a three-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series starting September 28.