India in blunder-land! How much did each missed opportunity cost the team in the third T20I?
Australia snapped Team India’s nine-match winning streak in T20Is, defeating the visitors by 12 runs in the third T20I at Sydney, a match that could be best described as a comedy of errors.
Both teams dropped a number of catches and there was a misfields galore. Fans can be forgiven for wondering whether this was a T20I match between two international sides or club teams trying to outdo each other with their incompetence in the field.
In the end, Australia emerged victorious as they made fewer glaring errors in the final T20I of the series. Batting first, the Aussies posted a challenging 186 for 5 on the board, riding on excellent fifties from Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell, and plenty of benevolence from the Indian fielders.
Australia tried their best to return the favour, but fell a little short in their efforts (pun intended!). With India going down in the final T20I courtesy a pathetic showing in the field, we try to estimate how much each error cost India.
Team India's 3 biggest mistakes in the 3rd T20I at Sydney
#.1 KL Rahul misses the simple stumping of Steve Smith (10th over)
Off the first ball of the 10th over, wicket-keeper KL Rahul missed a regulation stumping of Smith off Washington Sundar’s delivery. Smith charged down the pitch only to run past the ball. Rahul though fumbled the chance, and Smith survived at 18 runs.
Cost meter: 6 runs
India were lucky as Smith added only six more runs to his total in the third T20I, and was bowled in the same over while trying to loft Sundar over the top.
#2. India’s DRS review timed out (11th over)
With Wade having just brought up his second consecutive fifty, T. Natarajan struck him on the pads with a delivery that came back in, on the fourth ball of the 11th over. The umpire's decision was not out.
After some deliberation, Indian skipper Virat Kohli went for the DRS review. However, it was already too late as the timer had already run out. Sadly for Natarajan, replays confirmed that the ball was indeed going on to hit the stumps.
Cost meter: 30 runs
Wade was batting exactly on 50 when India missed the DRS call by a whisker in the T20I at Sydney. The lost opportunity proved extremely costly for India as the Australian wicket-keeper batsman went on to hammer 80 from 53 balls. He was eventually trapped at lbw by Shardul Thakur in the 19th over of the game.
#3. Glenn Maxwell caught off a Yuzvendra Chahal no-ball (13th over)
Having been hit for a four via Glenn Maxwell’s famous switch-hit, Yuzvendra Chahal got his revenge as he got the hard-hitting batsman to top edge one to Rahul on 19 runs. Or at least he thought so! The joy was short-lived for India and Chahal as replays showed the leg-spinner had overstepped at the crease.
Cost meter: 35 runs
Maxwell was the biggest beneficiary of India’s sloppy show in the field in the third T20I. After surviving once, thanks to Chahal overstepping, the ‘Big Show’ was gifted another life in the 17th over when Deepak Chahar dropped him off Shardul Thakur’s delivery while running in from sweeper cover.
Maxwell hit the very next ball over the midwicket boundary for a six. He reached his half-century off 31 balls and was gifted another life on 53 when Chahal dropped him at short third man to end the 19th over.
Team India eventually needed a Natarajan full toss to send back Maxwell for 54 runs.