India vs Australia 2019: 3 mistakes that cost India the first T20I
The first T20I between India and Australia turned out to be a low scoring thriller. The visiting team captain won the toss and opted to field first.
India went in with a couple of changes. Shikhar Dhawan was rested and KL Rahul opened with Rohit Sharma, while Mumbai Indians spinner Mayank Markande made his international debut.
The Men in Blue got off to a disastrous start as they lost Rohit's wicket early. Kohli and Rahul had a decent partnership, but once India lost Kohli, they lost their grip on the match.
Dhoni tried hard with the tail, but it was not his day and India could post just 126/7 in 20 overs.
Australia opened with a new combination, but it wasn't too successful as Marcus Stoinis got run out, while the Australia captain was dismissed for a golden duck on the very next ball.
Short and Maxwell pulled them out of trouble though. Maxwell scored an aggressive half-century to get back control of the game but once he got out, India tightened the screws. A brilliant 19th over from Bumrah left Umesh Yadav with 14 runs to defend in the final over.
However, his wayward bowling resulted in two boundaries, and India lost on the last ball. There were a few mistakes made by India which cost them the game. Let's have a look at them:
#1 Rishabh Pant run-out
Once India lost Rohit Sharma, Indian captain Kohli and Rahul had a decent partnership. They added 55 runs for the second wicket but Kohli got out in the quest of upping the run rate.
The Indian middle order could have built on this start but they failed to capitalize. Pant came in after the Kohli dismissal, but when he was batting on just three, he smashed a ball towards point and tried to take a single even before the ball crossed the fielder.
Handscomb made a smart attempt to stop the ball, and at that time Pant was halfway down the track. It was bad judgment of a single from the young Indian wicket-keeper and his innings ended with a run-out.
After his dismissal, India kept losing wickets and that brought about their downfall. At one stage, they were looking at a 150+ score, but ultimately fell way short.