"None of these bowlers should be even close to the T20I squad"- Fans brutally troll Indian bowlers after Australia chase down 223 to win 3rd T20I
Team India bowlers faced the wrath of the fans after they failed to defend a huge target of 223 in the third T20I against Australia on Tuesday, November 28. The visitors beat the hosts by five wickets at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati and opened their account in the five-match series.
Suryakumar Yadav-led side batted first in the contest and notched up 222/3 in 20 overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad (123*) led the way with a superlative century, while Suryakumar Yadav (39) and Tilak Varma (31*) chipped in with handy contributions.
Indian bowlers then struggled in the dewy conditions and could not contain the Australian batters. Travis Head (35) hit a flurry of boundaries in the powerplay, giving a blazing start to his side in the steep chase.
Arhsdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna bore the brunt of Head's attack and had no answers for his onslaught. Spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel then bowled economically and picked a couple of wickets to keep India in the hunt.
However, Glenn Maxwell stayed at the crease till the end and hit a scintillating century to finish the match for his side.
It was a day to forget for Prasidh Krishna as he conceded 68 runs in four overs, the most by an Indian pacer in T20Is. The rest of the bowlers were not up to the mark either.
Fans were heavily disappointed after observing the bowling performance. Here are some of the reactions on X:
"To defend with so much dew, you got to give something to the bowlers"- Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav after loss against Australia in Guwahati
At the post-match presentation, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav reflected on the loss and said:
"Just to get Maxi out [on plans at the break]. To defend 200-210 with so much dew, you got to give something to the bowlers. We played with heavy dew at Trivandrum, they lost wickets early on so they couldn't reach, but wickets in hand for them meant they were always in the game.
Surya continued:
"That was insane from Maxwell. I wanted to let Axar bowl in the end, he has experience bowling at the death. With heavy dew, there's always a chance with an experienced bowler."
On Ruturaj Gaikwad's excellent century, Surya added:
"Fantastic, he's a special player. Very proud of my boys."
India and Australia will next face off in the fourth T20I of the series on Friday (December 1) at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.