Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to India's series-clinching win in 4th T20I vs Australia ft. Ashish Nehra
India beat Australia by 20 runs in the fourth T20I to clinch the five-match series 3-1 with one game remaining. The Men in Blue scored 174/9 before restricting the visitors to 154/7 by the end of 20 overs in Raipur.
Rinku Singh, who has been in sublime form throughout the series, top-scored for India with 46. Although Ben Dwarshuis picked up three wickets, he was quite expensive, conceding 40 runs in four overs.
Matthew Wade remained not out on 36 off 23 balls but was unable to form a partnership with another batter. Axar Patel was adjudged Player of the Match for his 3/16 bowling effort.
Here are the top five expert reactions to India's series-clinching win against Australia in the fourth T20I in Raipur:
#1 "The sort of knock he played was praiseworthy" - Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra was impressed with the maturity Rinku Singh showed in the fourth T20I. Primarily seen as a finisher, the left-handed batter came in to bat in the ninth over and paced his innings well.
The cricketer-turned-commentator opined on JioCinema:
"The most important thing was that he came in the ninth or tenth over today, he didn't come in the 17th or 18th over. We have seen him many times after the 16th over or so but the sort of knock he played was praiseworthy and the team needed that."
He added:
"There was a time when it seemed they (India) could reach 190 as well but if you had lost Rinku Singh's wicket at that stage, you might have been stopped at 160. Whether you would have won or lost that match, it is something for later."
Nehra pointed out that Rinku is not just a finisher but can also build an innings. He believes that the knock in the 4th Tfour20I further solidifies the fact that the 26-year-old is fit to play for India in ODIs as well.
#2 "This series will be remembered for Rinku": Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra was another expert who waxed lyrical about Rinku Singh's exploits in the series-clinching win over Australia. The former Indian opener went as far as saying that this series will be remembered for the knocks played by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter.
Praising Rinku, Chopra shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel:
"This series will be remembered for Rinku. He was given different roles in different positions, and he fulfilled them. He was very good. You can get him to bat anywhere. Here he got to bat in the ninth over. The six he hit with a reverse sweep was an exceptional hit."
He also lauded Jitesh Sharma for grabbing his opportunity with both hands:
"Jitesh played well. It was an important match for him because he doesn't get too many opportunities. He played good shots straight down the ground."
The commentator observed that Yashasvi Jaiswal could have a weakness against the short ball:
"Yashasvi played very well till the time he was there. But he got out to a short ball. Short ball in white-ball cricket - is that a problem? I am not saying it is, but I have seen him getting out quite a few times."
On Shreyas Iyer, Chopra stated:
"Shreyas Iyer didn't look himself. The ball was not going into his hands in the field, wasn't able to pick and throw the ball. In batting also, three doubles had come, and then an attempt to play a big shot. From 50 for no loss to 63/3 - wickets fell quickly."
The cricketer-turned-YouTuber also mentioned in his video that he doesn't feel the Australians are taking this series very seriously due to their weird team selections. He was also critical of Aussie batters trying to sweep the Indian spinners instead of playing with a straight bat.
#3 "Turning point definitely has to be Ravi Bishnoi": Abhinav Mukund
Abhinav Mukund lauded Ravi Bishnoi for getting the breakthrough for India in the fourth over after Travis Head had given the visitors a quick start.
The former Indian cricketer shared his thoughts on Sports 18:
"40 without loss, (Australia) looked well in control of this game, especially the memories of Travis Head would have possibly haunted every single fan that was there. Head was there, he was looking good. (Josh) Philippe was looking good as well, and the turning point definitely has to be Ravi Bishnoi because he came in the fourth over and every single time he has bowled in the powerplay, he has managed to break a partnership."
Like Chopra, Mukund was also unhappy with the shot selection of Josh Philippe against Bishnoi. He believes the Indian leggie will be key for the team due to his powerplay exploits.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added:
"It's a horrible shot. Josh Philippe will look back at this shot and think that he planned for the sweep ages ago and it wasn't a shot he could play against Ravi Bishnoi."
He continued:
"This is the kind of player that he revels bowling against and for Bishnoi, his strength is hitting the stumps and pads. So just coming in the powerplay and doing the job for Team India in this series is a huge tick mark in terms of Ravi Bishnoi's skill as a leggie."
In the four T20Is against Australia this season, Bishnoi has registered seven dismissals, with four of them coming in the powerplay. This further proves Mukund's point about Bishnoi being a powerplay weapon for India in the future.
#4 "He is an experienced campaigner for India": Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel was delighted with the way Axar Patel bowled in the powerplay. He gave props to his fellow Gujarat cricketer for sticking to his strengths and forcing the opposition batters to take risks against him.
Parthiv Patel said on Cricbuzz's YouTube channel:
"Axar Patel, again, sticking to his strengths, bowled tstump to stump. All his dismissals were bowled. Even Travis Head was trying to go across the line. He doesn't spin (the ball) that much, but the highlight of his performance is not those three wickets, but it's those dots that he bowled. Because he has bowled those 13 dots, he has actually forced batters to play those big shots, those high risk shots."
He added:
"Axar has also been doing this job for his franchise in the powerplay, bowling those difficult overs. Last game he bowled the 19th over. He is an experienced campaigner (for India). In an under pressure situation when you are defending a low total and you know that only wickets can win you the game, he stepped up."
Axar picked up three wickets for the concession of just 16 runs. He bowled 13 dot balls and dismissed Travis Head, Ben McDermott, and Aaron Hardie, three of Australia's top four batters.
#5 "This is where the Australian batters struggled": Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan also applauded Rinku Singh for his performance in the fourT20I against Australia. He felt that Australian batters struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking after losing a few wickets, while Rinku excelled at doing that.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said in CricBuzz's review video:
"Rinku Singh is being called a finisher because he adapts to the situation very well. He adapted to the situation presented to him today too. Around four wickets were gone in the first 10 or 11 overs. In that pressure, you have to keep the scoreboard ticking as well. This is where the Australian batters struggled. Meanwhile, Rinku kept the scoreboard ticking but also played the ocassional big hit."
The former Indian pacer stated that India are lucky to have a batter like Rinku in the middle order:
"He is showing great maturity in playing these calculated knocks at such a level. It is a great boon for Indian cricket to have such a cricketer, especially when Hardik returns. Jitesh also played a decent innings today. There are many top order options for India, but middle order batters in T20I cricket are always important."
Rinku scored 46 off 29 balls, with four boundaries and a couple of sixes. He not only anchored the innings well but also batted with a healthy strike rate just shy of 160. He was dismissed by Jason Behrendorff in the 20th over.