Australia’s performance in 1st T20I against India at Adelaide underlines problems they could face in ICC World T20 2016
Australia's performance in 1st T20I against India underlines problems they could face in ICC World T20 2016
Australia have been the dominant team in their home summer of 2015-16. In the total of six Tests they have played in two series against West Indies and New Zealand, they emerged victorious in four and drew the other two. In the subsequent five-match One-Day International (ODI) series against India, they took victory in four games and only narrowly lost out in the final game at Sydney. Come the first T20I against the same opposition, Australia were at best pale shadow of themselves in the other formats. They took a 37-run beating at the hands of the visitors at Adelaide. CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia 2015-16, 1st T20I at Adelaide
The result of the game is not as much a point of contention as is the way they squandered a phenomenal early start. At the end of eight overs Australia had smashed 82 runs for the loss of a solitary wicket, looking well on way to take a win or at the very least, lose a close tie. ALSO READ: India thrash Australia by 37 runs in 1st T20I at Adelaide
But the ball started doing things for India ninth over onward and the support was for the discipline that is more associated with subcontinent pitches; spin bowling. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the matter of few overs reversed the momentum and dismantled the Australian top order. It was as if they were strangling the life out of a chase as they have so commonly done at home and elsewhere in the subcontinent. ALSO READ: Virat Kohli 90* powers India to commanding score of 188-3 against Australia in 1st T20I at Adelaide
The ball gripped and turned and the duo will never disappoint once that begins to happen. Jadeja induced the leading edge from an in-form Steven Smith. Ashwin got rid of a well-set Aaron Finch and Jadeja struck again the subsequent over to cheaply dismiss youngster Travis Head. Ashwin did not want to lag behind Jadeja and soon got his second scalp in Shane Watson by (you guessed it) trapping him leg before. The wheels of the Australian chase fell off at an alarmingly rapid rate.
Had it not been for the turn the pitch was offering, it is unlikely Australia would have fallen apart in such dramatic fashion. Unfortunately for them, the conditions that brought their downfall at Adelaide will only be magnified when they play the ICC World T20 2016 in India. Spin bowling will be the dominant force as it has traditionally been in the subcontinent.
Does Australia have it in them to find answers to the challenging questions that have arisen after this game? If they do, will those answers materialise before they take their plane for the Indian shores?
In the shortest format of them all, Australia have never been the strong side they have come to be in other formats. Five different teams have lifted the ICC World T20 and Australia — who have five 50-over World Cups to boast about — are not one of those teams.
And the likeliness of that happening in a land where the ball frequently turns and whizzes off the surface is bleak in light of what has transpired at Adelaide. Australia have to figure out how to deal with pitches that turn especially in the T20I format when the focus is on accumulating runs at a quick pace.
Australia have many a batsmen who can play fine innings even against the turning ball when afforded enough time to set their eye in. But T20 is not generous in that aspect. Batsmen have to look to score right from the word go.
Their woes are not limited to the batting area either. Their spin bowler Cameron Boyce was unable to cause any major threat to the batsmen. Australia will have to sort that out. Giving Nathan Lyon a chance and sticking by him till course of the World T20 irrespective of how effective he is in the interim could be an option.
Come the next T20 Australia could well be back to their winning ways. Most Australian surfaces are not kind to the spinners and Australia have proven that they are king when that aspect is taken out of equation. But the best idea of their preparedness for the challenge that awaits them in India came at Adelaide.
(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)