IND vs AUS, 1st T20I: It is a popular belief that lightning does not strike at the same place twice, but the Aussies have ruled this theory out. In the series opener of the three-match T20I series between India and Australia, Aaron Finch and co. stunned the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team as they easily chased down India's 208/6 with 4 wickets in hand and with 4 wickets to spare. Coincidentally this happened at Mohali where Australia had stunned India three years back.
2019: Ashton Turner and Peter Handscomb pull off one spectacular heist
Venue: Mohali
Australia had chased down 359 in 2019 at Mohali
Before the all-important ODI World Cup that was played in England that year, India had a chance to check their team combination and plans in this five-match ODI series. Australia was reeling behind by India 2-1 up in the series. Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bat first. The men in blue got off to a spectacular start as their first wicket fell for 193. Dhawan registered a spectacular 143 followed by Rohit's 95. India registered a mammoth total of 358/9
When Australia came out to bat, Finch departed early, but Khwaja carried on and scored a valuable 91 off 99 deliveries. He was joined in by youngster Peter Handscomb who scored a sublime 117 off 105 deliveries. Handscomb gritty knock was followed by last-minute heroics of Ashton Turner who ended up scoring 84* off 43 deliveries that sealed the game for Australia as they leveled the series with 2 victories each.
Australia XI: Aaron Finch(c), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey(w), Jhye Richardson, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa
India XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant(w), Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
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2022: Matthew Wade & Cameron Green do a Peter Handscomb & Ashton Turner
Venue: Mohali
Australia chased down 209 in 2022 at Mohali
In a similar kind of setup, ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup, India locked horns against Australia in the series opener of the three-match T20I series. Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. The men in blue continued their aggressive T20I playing template and riding high on Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul's batting prowess, they amassed a total of 208/6 by the end of 20 overs.
The Aussies who were playing without David Warner allowed Cameron Green to open the batting with Aaron Finch. Green, who comes with a great reputation just took off leaving the Indian boys stunned. Steven Smith who was auditioning for his number 3 spot in the team scored a gritty 35 off 24 deliveries. But it was late exploits by Matthew Wade as he scored 45* off 21 deliveries that turned the tides in Australia's favor and they now lead the series by 1-0.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
Australia XI: Aaron Finch (c), Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
