3 players who starred and 2 who flopped for India in the 3rd T20I vs Australia ft. Prasidh Krishna & Ruturaj Gaikwad
Team India's winning run in the five-match series against Australia was brought to a close in the third T20I as the visitors clinched a five-wicket win in Guwahati on Tuesday, November 28.
The contest turned out to be a last-ball thriller as Glenn Maxwell played a knock for the ages to take the Kangaroos over the line. Jason Behrendorff excelled as well as Australia, who were 2-0 down before the game, kept themselves alive in the rubber.
India, meanwhile, will need to head back to the drawing board and see where they went wrong. Some of their players, who had mixed outings on Tuesday, must shoulder much of the blame for the way the clash transpired.
On that note, here are three players who starred and two who flopped for Team India in the third T20I against Australia.
#5 Star - Avesh Khan
On paper, Avesh Khan's figures of 1/37 might not look too impressive. But the fast bowler, who was the most economical of the side's pace trio, bowled decently for the most part of his spell.
Playing his first game of the series, Avesh stepped in for Mukesh Kumar and seemed to be in a decent rhythm. He wasn't afraid to resort to his slower deliveries and also got the ball to do things off the deck. In an encouraging sign, the 26-year-old's pace appeared to have recovered from the hit it took last year.
Avesh dismissed the dangerous Travis Head and could've had even more reward for his efforts on another day.
#4 Flop - Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan came into the game having racked up successive half-centuries, but he couldn't trouble the scorers on Tuesday. The southpaw, who came in to bat at the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket, collected a blob.
Kishan tried to hit one on the up through covers, a ball that deserved to be put away on a true batting deck. However, he found the hands of Marcus Stoinis at cover, leaving India in serious trouble at 24/2.
Kishan's day got worse later on as he was called for a no-ball for collecting the ball in front of the stumps. In the very same over, he also let one through for four byes, runs that proved to be the reason why Australia were able to get over the line.
#3 Star - Ravi Bishnoi
For the second game running, Ravi Bishnoi was the pick of the Indian bowlers. As his teammates got carted all over the park, the leg-spinner kept things tight and managed to pick up two wickets.
Bishnoi first dismissed Josh Inglis, who got the better of him in the series opener, for the second time in a row. He later returned to prise out the dangerous Tim David. In between the two dismissals, the youngster hit the right lengths and asked questions of the Aussie batters.
#2 Flop - Prasidh Krishna
![Prasidh Krishna [right] was carted for close to 70 runs in the third T20I](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/5b61c-17010220018525-1920.jpg)
Prasidh Krishna recorded the worst-ever figures by an Indian bowler in T20Is as he leaked 68 runs in the four overs he bowled. And strangely, it could've been even worse for the fast bowler.
Prasidh's first two overs were taken for 39 runs as Glenn Maxwell and the Aussie top order took a particular liking to him. He dished out all the wrong lengths and tried the same thing over and over again, without much success.
Prasidh was lucky to get away with a six-run third over as he dished out plenty of freebies that weren't punished. In the last over, though, he wasn't spared. A short delivery he bowled to Matthew Wade, when Suryakumar had set a 6-3 off-side field, was particularly silly.
Prasidh doesn't seem like he should be in the T20I picture as of today.
#1 Star - Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad hadn't made a genuine impact in international cricket until Tuesday when he hammered his maiden T20I century and truly stamped his arrival on the stage.
Gaikwad started slowly and went at run-a-ball for the first 20 balls of his innings, with India losing a couple of wickets inside the first two overs. However, as his knock wore on, he accelerated with scary ease.
Gaikwad was severe on both pace and spin, striking 13 fours and seven sixes. He ended up with a strike rate of 215.78, taking India to a distinctly above-par total with an assault on Glenn Maxwell in the final over.
Unfortunately for Gaikwad, though, Maxwell had the last laugh.