India vs Australia 2022 2nd T20I: 3 moments that caught eyeballs
Team India have passed the test of character once again after they ensured they go into the final T20I against Australia with the series level at 1-1. Captain Rohit Sharma led by example as his match-winning 46* saw the Men in Blue pip the visitors in a rain-shortened game at Nagpur.
There were several talking points, right from Rohit's intent, to Jasprit Bumrah's comeback. Team India will be delighted to have responded in style when questions were being raised about their T20 World Cup preparations. Axar Patel (2/13) had another fantastic game with the ball, proving his value in this format.
Fans on Twitter were thrilled to see India's fightback, but there were some moments that caught their attention. Here are three such moments:
#3 Rohit Sharma's 109m six
Rohit Sharma became the leading six hitter in T20i history in his own style. https://t.co/87zytRiu8z
All eyes were on how Indian captain Rohit Sharma would approach the target of 91 in eight overs, as he has been quite vocal about the brand of cricket that he wants to play. 'Hitman' stayed true to his words as he smashed Josh Hazlewood for a humongous six (109m) over midwicket on the first delivery he faced.
Indian fans noticed a change in Rohit's stance as he opened up his front leg to get the bat to swing through nicely. Given that it was against a new ball in the first over, fans were thrilled to see the confidence with which the opener hit that shot. Rohit didn't stop there as he went on to become the highest six-hitter in T20Is till date.
#2 Jasprit Bumrah's toe-crusher
An absolute thunderous delivery by Jasprit Bumrah. https://t.co/qnfX33lOzH
Jasprit Bumrah's absence had clearly affected the Indian bowling, as was seen in the Asia Cup as well as the first T20I at Mohali. When his first delivery was smashed for a boundary by Aaron Finch, it looked like the star pacer was rusty and would take time to find his groove.
However, that wasn't to be as he absolutely nailed his yorker a few deliveries later, castling Finch's off-stump. Even the Australian captain was impressed with the delivery. In conditions where the ball wasn't swinging, Bumrah still managed to get that delivery to tail in, showing control over his craft.
#1 Rohit Sharma hugging Dinesh Karthik after the win
Rohit Sharma said "There was a though process of sending Pant but we wanted DK to do this role as he is going to be the finisher".
The celebration says it all.
https://t.co/2WOMno8W5P
There was a lot of talk about how Rohit Sharma grabbed Dinesh Karthik's neck in the field, albeit jokingly. There were debates about whether it was right on the part of a captain to show such extreme emotions on the field.
But these doubts of a rift were put to rest when Dinesh Karthik smashed 10 runs off two deliveries to win the game for India. Rohit's happiness in seeing Karthik finish the game confidently spoke a lot about how much the team management has backed the veteran for this role.