ICC T20 World Cup 2016: India vs Australia - 5 Talking Points
All eyes were gazed towards the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali where India and Australia locked horns in a bid to seal a semi-final spot. It was a winner takes all clash and the pressure was incredibly high for both teams.
India began their campaign with a shocking loss against New Zealand in Nagpur which placed them in dangerous territory. But, they bounced back strongly by thumping Pakistan in a high-voltage clash and just edged past Bangladesh in a nerve-wracking contest to keep their hopes up.
On the other hand, Australia too started with a loss against New Zealand and they scraped past Bangladesh to set up another showdown with Pakistan. Steve Smith led from the front as the Aussies posted an emphatic victory to stay alive in the tournament.
Smith called correctly and predictably opted to make first use of a good batting surface as both teams went in unchanged. After a blazing beginning from the Australian batsmen, the Indian bowlers came back to thwart them from registering a massive total.
But, no total is safe when the opposition contains a bloke called Virat Kohli. Simply on a different level when compared to the other batsmen, the run-machine added yet another chase to his glowing collection as he made India reach the semi-finals.
Let us take a look at the five most memorable moments from the exciting contest in chronological order.
#1 – Nehra proves age is no barrier
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Ashish Nehra was recalled to the Indian team in a format which suited younger legs. However, the veteran left-armer proved everyone wrong by performing consistently with the ball.
He was at it again when he was stood strong amidst some misfiring bowlers. Nehra began by conceding only four runs in his opening over even as Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch were in a punishing mood.
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin were hammered to all parts of the boundary as the crowd fell silent. With the scorecard reading 53/0 from 4 overs, India desperately needed a wicket to stem the leakage of runs.
MS Dhoni persisted with Nehra who responded to his skipper’s call by sending back the dangerous Khawaja. The angle away from the southpaw worked in the 36-year old's favor who swung the new ball to induce the edge and bringing his team back into the match. He returned in the death overs to provide a terrific end to his spell.