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Live Pitch Report
New
Stadium
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur
Pitch
The pitch is batting friendly.
Type
Hard Track
Fantasy Analysis
Playing XILineups Out
Fantasy Top Picks
Experts are creating their teams, watch this space
Expert Team 1
R Sharma
J Bumrah
Expert Team 2
K Rahul
C Green
Venue Details
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur
VENUE STATS
1st Innings
145Avg Runs
7Avg Wkts
Avg
SR
2nd Innings
124Avg Runs
7Avg Wkts
Avg
SR
Fantasy TipsExclusive
1
Hardik Pandyais the best All round option for your fantasy team. He scored 71 runs in the previous game at a strike rate of 236.00 and he also bowled 2 crucial overs as well. Hardik Pandya undoubtedly is the best choice for Captaincy in this game.
2
Cameron Green is in excellent form, he was the top run scorer of the team in the previous game with a total of 61 runs in just 30 balls and he picked up one important wicket of Suryakumar Yadav as well.
3
Nathan Ellis (3W) and Axar Patel (3W) are the top bowlers' picks, both of them are in exceptional form and will play an important role in this game.
4
H2H Stats, Last time when both the teams faced each otherAustralia won the game by 4 wickets.
5
Hot Picks:Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Hardik Pandya
The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
So that will be all from this clash. 1-1 heading into Hyderabad and we couldn't have asked for anything better. That ought to be a cracking contest so do join us for our coverage of the same on Sunday here on Sportskeeda. There's loads of other cricketing action to look forward to in the meantime, including the final one-dayer between England Women and India Women at Lord's with the Women In Blue looking to give Jhulan Goswami a fitting farewell. Do join us for that as well on this very platform. For the moment, this is the duo of Pratyush Rohra and Sooryanarayanan Sesha thanking you for your patience and for joining us today. Good night, take care and here's to a great weekend ahead!
Axar Patel was India's star with the ball again. And Twitterati lavished praise aplenty on the left-arm spinner. Here's a look at the reactions to his sensational spell today!👇
He has been walking the talk with his aggressive intent atop the batting order in recent times and Rohit Sharma put on a show for the fans in Nagpur. They deserved every bit of this for their incredible patience and props to the groundstaff as well to ensure we got a contest going. Not much you can read into in a shortened encounter such as this but it sure had its own share of takeaways. This one's surely for the crowd and the groundstaff today!
Rohit Sharma is the Player of the Match. Here's what the Indian captain has to say: I was quite surprised as well actually (with how well the ball was coming onto the bat). It's great to be hitting like that but it was an 8-over game, so you have to take your chances. I'm glad that it came off. Honestly, for the last 8-9 months I've been playing like that. For me, it didn't really change much but again, when you're playing a game like this, you can't plan too much. You've just got to understand the situation and try and use the conditions to your advantage. I felt that the bowlers had something on offer and we used the conditions pretty well but at the backend, the dew started to come in and the guys were not able to grip the ball, which is why you saw some odd full tosses from Harshal. Again, that is where we want the guys to learn and understand how tough it is and we want to be in those tough moments. That's how we will get confidence, executing our plans in the death overs. (Bumrah) Honestly, a back injury can be tricky when coming back after a few months. So, we've just got to give him more time. Not going to analyze how he bowled. It was good to see him on the park. That was important for us. Obviously, he got the crucial wicket as well. Slowly and steadily, he's coming back into his rhythm. That's what he's been talking about in the nets as well. Good to see him bowling full throttle but yeah, as a team we won't analyze too much about his bowling and let him enjoy his game. (Axar Patel's bowling) Axar has fit in that role pretty well since Jadeja has left. I have said it earlier as well, he can bowl in any phase of the game and that gives me an advantage to use him, especially if I have his four overs to use in the powerplay. That frees up some overs of our pacers in the middle. So, it brings a lot to the table. This guy has been playing cricket for such a long time, doing well for his franchise and India. About time he grabs these kind of opportunities and what we've seen in the last two games is what Axar Patel is all about. Just waiting to see his batting skills as well. Hopefully, not too much in the series because we've got solid top-order batters in the top seven but at some stage, I would like to see his batting as well. (DK) Glad that he could play and finish. It's been a while since he's had time in the middle and it's always nice to get him in and play those crucial overs. There was a thinking behind whether I wanted to get Rishabh (Pant) in because I knew Daniel Sams will look to bowl his off-cutters but I said no, let DK come because he's the one who is going to play that role for us. It's important that he comes in and gets some time in the middle as well. More importantly, we want him to bat in the middle and play the finishing role. (Ground staff) I heard they were here since 1:30 PM. They've been preparing the outfield since then, so a lot of credit goes to the whole management here. It's not easy. The conditions were not easy. So many people came to watch the game, it was a full house, so it was a great effort for them to get some game going. Playing the game was fantastic. We all love coming and playing here, it's always nice. A lot of credit to the groundsmen.
Aaron Finch (Australia Captain): (Can you plan for 8-over games?) You probably plan for 5-over games. When you do your planning and preparation for World Cups and stuff you always have that at the back of your mind. I think we missed in our execution and Rohit batted brilliantly. The two overs of Axar were brilliant and probably the turning point in the game. (On his form) Every time you open the batting and look to go hard you need a bit of luck. Going alright (grins). (On Wade) He's such a calm customer at the back end of the innings there. He's really grown into the finisher role. We knew that we had to keep taking wickets because we knew it was going to hard restricting them unless you take 4-5 wickets. We got tight in the end but it can happen in a high-pressure game.
Dinesh Karthik: You are the one who thought me to say it's never an easy game, don't go back on that Ravi Bhai. It's a hard game as it is. (Plans in the penultimate over) There wasn't too much chat. Rohit was trying to tell me that this is what the bowlers will do but I had my own plans depending on who will bowl. I thought Josh Hazlewood would bowl the final over but Daniel Sams came in and I made my plan then and there, that if he bowls on the stumps, this is what I'll look to do. I executed it on the given day and as a middle-order batter, that's the key. It feels good to hit that winning shot. One of the things I've always prided myself on is to be there at the end and to finish it off, it's good. (Rohit's knock) I think two people stood up today. Rohit Sharma with the bat and Axar Patel with the ball. And good to see Bumrah coming back to bowl those lethal yorkers. So, there are positives. As I keep saying, there are good games but it's important to keep gaining momentum as we move forward. From a series standpoint, one all is a good score going into Hyderabad. You want to play those crunch games but most importantly, you guys were a part of it as well. The number of people that were standing outside, this game would have mattered to them and I'm very happy we put up a show with no injuries happening. It was a good match, well fought and it's great to see a full house in Nagpur. It was one of the loudest atmospheres I've been a part of in a long time.
India beat Australia by 6 wickets.
Rohit Sharma 46* (20) | Axar Patel 2/13 (2) Matthew Wade 43* (20) | Adam Zampa 3/16 (2)
It was a long wait but my word, haven't we experienced a thrill thereafter! Australia went hell for leather as they had to, despite Axar Patel's brilliance with the ball, as Matthew Wade's pyrotechnics powered the visitors to a total of 90/5 at the end of their alloted 8-over quota.
India needed a flyer and Rohit Sharma was intent on giving them one. The skipper combined with KL Rahul to plunder 20 off the opening Josh Hazlewood over, putting India right in the driver's seat. Rohit was looking the part, sending the ball flying into the stands for fun, even carving a delightful six off Adam Zampa.
But it was Australia's ace leggie who would add a new chapter of intrigue to the contest. Having castled Rahul, he returned to do the same to Virat Kohli before trapping Suryakumar Yadav stone dead in front right after. Hardik Pandya struggled to get going and there was life yet in the contest. More so, with Australia's seamers, Pat Cummins in particular, using their cutters to good effect on a surface where the ball was stopping just a tad.
But as long as Rohit was there, it was always going to be India's game to lose. He picked his spot and played the field like a surgeon at work and brought it down to 9 needed off the last over, where Dinesh Karthik then did what he is in the side for - adding the finishing touches in style. 1-1 then ahead of a Super Sunday decider in Hyderabad - as spicy and tasty as the biriyani you get in that city. Stick around for the presentation...
Dinesh Karthik seals it in style and sends the whole of Nagpur into a roar of ecstasy! Not the best choice of deliveries from Sams and he's paid the price for it. India win by 6 wickets with four deliveries to spare and square the series 1-1 with a game to go!
8.0
7.2 Daniel Sams to Dinesh Karthik, FOUR! THE FINISHER FINISHES IT OFF! Another slower one dug into the track, giving DK enough time to sit back and pull this in the gap at deep mid-wicket to split the two fielders in the deep. India win by 6-wickets with 4 balls to spare and force a decider!
This is why he's in the side. India are just 3 runs away now!
7.1 Daniel Sams to Dinesh Karthik, SIX! DK, THE FINISHER DOING HIS JOB TO THE T! Slower one dished out on length and into the pads. DK moves inside the line and heaves it over short fine leg to clear the ropes with ease
He pulled off a thriller for the Mumbai Indians earlier this year. Can Sams do it for Australia now? 'DK! DK' goes the crowd!
Daniel Sams [1.0-0-10-0] to bowl the final over of the game. He will bowl around the wicket.
Surgical precision from the skipper! He has put on an absolute clinic today and that result has swung things back in India's favor. Rohit Sharma has led from the front today and much has to be asked about the field placement. If the plan is to go wide of off, you surely have to pack your off-side boundary? India require 9 to win off the final over!
7
overs
82/4score
1w
1
4
2
0
W
1w
4
runs
Rohit Sharma*
46(20)
Hardik Pandya
9(9)
Pat Cummins
1/23
6.6 Pat Cummins to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! In the middle of such intense pressure, Rohit's produced a shot of class to find the boundary. It was the back of a length delivery with pace off, but there was width there. The Indian captain makes the most of it, freeing his arms to scythe this with a delightful bit of timing through backward point. He didn't try to hit to too hard, and that was key!
Third man and fine leg are both up inside the ring.
6.6 Pat Cummins to Rohit Sharma, wide. Goes for the slower one wide outside the off-stump again. Flirting with the tramline but he's not got on the right side of it in the end