Aaron Finch's 3 best knocks vs India
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from international cricket. The opening batter retired from ODI cricket last year in September. He captained Australia to their only T20 World Cup win in the UAE in 2021. He was also a part of the 2015 World Cup-winning squad.
The 36-year-old represented Australia in five Tests, 146 ODIs, and 103 T20Is. He remains the leading run-getter for his country in T20Is. He played 53 matches against India in international cricket.
We take a look at the best knocks Aaron Finch has played against India in all three formats of the game.
#1 T20Is - 89 (52), Rajkot 2013
India won the toss and opted to field first in the only T20I at Rajkot. Finch opened the batting with Nic Maddinson. The visitors had an explosive start in the powerplay - 74/1. Maddinson scored a quick-fire 34 off 16 balls at the top.
He came into the match after scoring the-then highest T20I score - 156 (63) vs Australia. He batted aggressively from the start of the innings on an absolute belter of a pitch. He brought up his half-century off just 29 balls.
However, Australia collapsed from 84/1 to 146/5 in their quest to keep up their scoring rate. The middle order did not contribute much, apart from Maxwell, who scored 27 off 13 balls. Finch held the innings together and ensured that they were able to cross the 200-run mark, which did not prove to be enough eventually as India won the match with six wickets and two balls to spare.
#2 ODIs - 124 (125), Indore 2017
Finch was a solid ODI opener throughout his 10-year career. He has played several match-winning knocks in the format. His overall record vs India is also pretty impressive - 1460 runs in 31 innings at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 86.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first. Along with David Warner, Finch added 70 runs for the first wicket in 13.3 overs against a quality Indian bowling attack. He also added 174 runs in 24.2 overs for the 2nd wicket with Steve Smith (63).
Finch anchored the innings superbly. His innings was all the more important, given that there was barely any significant contribution apart from the top 3. His knock was well-paced and he did not allow Kuldeep and Chahal to settle in the middle overs.
#3 Tests - 50 (105), Perth 2018
Aaron Finch was not a successful Test batter. But looking back, this was an inning he would be really proud of. Tim Paine won the toss and Australia opted to bat first on a green wicket with an extra bit of pace and bounce for the fast bowlers.
The Indian Test team had one of the best pace attacks in world cricket - Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav. The Australians were aware that not a single run was going to come easy.
He opened the innings with Marcus Harris and had a partnership of 112 runs for the first wicket. He took body blows and played some cracking shots. He displayed immense grit and potential throughout the course of the innings.
The opening partnership proved to be extremely crucial in a match where run-scoring was extremely difficult. Australia was able to put a significant total on the board in the first innings as they won the Test by 146 runs.