The bruises from Glenn Maxwell’s onslaught in Australia’s successful chase of a daunting 223 in Guwahati are still fresh, more so for the Indian bowlers, who had the best view of the right-hander’s merciless attack en-route to a match-winning century to keep the five-match T20I series alive 2-1.
But the second-string Indian team will fancy their chances with Maxwell, and the other first team players, like Steve Smith and Adam Zampa not figuring in the playing XI in the fourth and the final T20Is, having left for home after a long stay in the country where they won their sixth World Cup title recently.
And as such, when the Suryakumar Yadav-led side walks out to face the Australians in the fourth T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, the inexperienced Indian bowling unit will be relieved that they won’t have to deal with Maxwell, anymore at least for this series.
Instead, they will probably be bowling to players such as Tim David, Josh Phillippe and big-hitter Ben McDermott, who could take some time to get used to the sub-continent conditions. The Indian bowling, however, will still be expected to face a challenge from World Cup final hero Travis Head, and the seasoned Matthew Wade, who is leading the side in the ongoing series.
In fact, at the end of the third game, when Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose maiden T20I century came in a losing cause in Guwahati, was asked about the lack of sting in India’s death bowling, he defended the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna, saying that it was difficult to bowl with a wet ball.
“I don’t think death bowling is a concern. They are bowling with a wet ball and it’s tough on them. In these conditions, 12 runs an over, and even 13-14 runs an over are gettable. Even in the first game, we saw how easily we managed to chase 210. It’s just that the conditions are slightly tougher for them so we have to accept that and move on,” Gayakwad said in a reply to The Statesman.
But to put things in perspective, the Indian bowlers failed to defend 40-plus runs in the final two, with the experienced left-arm-spinner Axar Patel and Krishna leaking 22 and 21, respectively, to allow Australia to pocket the contest by five wickets.
With Deepak Chahar back in the T20 mix, his ability to move the new ball should be considered for his inclusion in the playing XI along with death overs specialist Mukesh Kumar, back after a one-match break because of his marriage. In that scenario, the bowling line-up could experience a tweak, with Krishna and Avesh likely warming the bench to facilitate the inclusion of Chahar and Kumar.
In the batting department, Shreyas Iyer’s return for the final two games could see Tilak Varma sitting out, as five others — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, skipper Suryakumar Yadav and finisher Rinku Singh select themselves.
Fresh from slamming a 57-ball 123, Gaikwad will be high on confidence and will look to bat to a similar template, allowing the likes of Jaiswal, Kishan and Yadav to bludgeon the Aussie bowling. With Iyer’s return, and Rinku Singh in the XI, a 200-plus total looks on the card.
Like in Guwahati, dew could once again play a role on the captain’s decision at the toss, and as such the team batting second will look to cash on to the advantage of the wet ball. The series has been a nightmare for the bowlers with five 200-plus totals in six innings, and the trend is expected to continue in the remainder of the rubber.