IND vs AUS 2022: 3 Indian players who flopped in the T20I series against Australia
Riding on the back of fifties from Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli, Team India completed their comeback against Australia in Hyderabad on Sunday to clinch the three-match T20I series by a 2-1 margin.
Having conceded the first T20I in rather embarrassing fashion, India needed to dig deep against a depleted Aussie side. They chased down totals in each of their next two matches, winning by six wickets in last-over thrillers and keeping their build-up to the T20 World Cup going.
Unfortunately for the Men in Blue, though, a few of their players couldn't deliver in the T20I series. Here are three Indian players who flopped against Australia.
#3 Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is India's primary spinner in white-ball cricket, but his returns have been highly discouraging over the last two years. The leg-spinner had another disappointing series, scalping only two wickets at an economy rate of 9.12.
Chahal's only good outing of the series came in the final T20I, where he recorded figures of 1/22. He often tossed the ball up with no regard for the batters' intentions or the boundary sizes, and although the series itself was relatively high-scoring overall, he never looked like picking up wickets.
Chahal's form will be closely watched during the T20I series against South Africa, which commences on Wednesday.
#2 Harshal Patel
Making a comeback from injury, Harshal Patel played all three games for India against Australia. Unfortunately, the pacer was carted all around the ground by the likes of Cameron Green, Matthew Wade, and Tim David.
Harshal went for 99 runs in the eight overs he bowled, with only two of those coming in the final T20I. He sent down one impressive over, holding Australia to seven runs and dismissing David, but he didn't seem to have any rhythm whatsoever.
Harshal missed the yorker on various occasions, with his slower ball too failing to deceive batters like it once did. It might be harsh to come down on a man who's searching for some match practice, but time is something that's not at India's disposal.
#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's performances in the Asia Cup put him under the scanner against Australia, and his critics were handed some new fuel. Picking up only one wicket in two games, the swing bowler leaked runs at an economy rate of 13.
Bhuvneshwar didn't find much movement with the new ball and he couldn't adapt to the batting-friendly pitches on offer. At the death, he was a total liability, with the three overs he bowled at that stage of the game costing India plenty. It remains to be seen whether he will fare well in Australia, where the conditions won't exactly play into his hands.