India vs Australia 2023 Highlights: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in 4th T20I ft. Rinku Singh & Jitesh Sharma
India completed a comprehensive series win over Australia by winning the fourth T20I of the five-match series, played in Raipur on Friday, December 1. The Men in Blue tested their bench strength by making four changes and it worked out well for them.
Cameos from Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma allowed India to post a competitive total of 174/9 in their 20 overs. While Travis Head gave Australia another quickfire start, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and ended up 20 runs short of India's score.
On that note, let's take a look at three moments that grabbed the attention of fans on social media:
#3 Rinku Singh's reverse sweep for six
It was a different role for Rinku Singh in the fourth T20I as he walked out to bat with an ample amount of overs left to make an impact. The southpaw showed great strike rotation and proved he wasn't just a dasher who only knew how to finish the innings.
Rinku smashed four boundaries and two sixes in his entertaining knock of 46(29), including a reverse sweep for maximum that got the crowd on their feet. He showed the range of strokes he had and the ability to adapt to the situation and bat deep when needed.
#2 Jitesh Sharma hitting the umpire
There was a lot of anticipation about how Jitesh Sharma would perform in his first T20I outside of the Asian Games. It is safe to say that the wicketkeeper-batter lived up to his reputation as he smashed three huge sixes in a quickfire cameo of 35(19).
Jitesh could argue that he would have scored at least four more runs as he hit a delivery from Chris Green straight at the umpire. The umpire did try to get out of the way, but it was so well-timed that he only had little time to take evasive action. Jitesh batting well is a massive sign for India, especially given that they might need a wicketkeeper batting down the order for the T20 World Cup.
#1 Ravi Bishnoi and ill-fated DRS
Ravi Bishnoi would count himself unlucky as he couldn't dismiss Ben McDermott despite coming close as many as three times. As has been the case this series, Bishnoi provided the breakthrough for India in the powerplay by dismissing Josh Philippe on the first ball he bowled.
It could have been two wickets in the same over as Bishnoi had trapped McDermott. However, the batter was saved only because of umpire's call. McDermott was once again beaten by a googly from Bishnoi and he was confident he had got his man despite the on-field call being not-out. But once again it was deja vu for the spinner as the umpire's call went against him.
Bishnoi would have believed he was third-time lucky when McDermott was given out LBW by the on-field umpire while trying to play a sweep shot across the line. However, the DRS replays showed that the ball was going on to miss the stumps. Bishnoi couldn't believe his luck and was understandably distraught for luck not going his way.
Click here to watch the highlights of the full match.