India vs Australia 2015-16, 2nd T20I at Melbourne: Virat Kohli’s fifty, Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja’s brilliance and other highlights

India won the second Twenty20 International (T20I) of the series against Australia by a margin of 27 runs and sealed the series 2-0 with one T20I still left to be played.

India won the second Twenty20 International (T20I) of the series against Australia by a margin of 27 runs and sealed the series 2-0 with one T20I still left to be played. The effort came from both batsmen and bowlers while the match had its own moments that made it more exciting to watch. Paulami Chakraborty picks out the highlights of the match. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs Australia 2015-16, 2nd T20I at Melbourne

India’s power-packed start: Rohit Sharma’s previous innings have earned him the title ‘giant’ while Shikhar Dhawan is not far behind with his scores, and when both of the openers decide to get into action, fireworks are ensured. The second T20I saw a terrific start from the openers as they started hitting fearlessly from the initial overs itself. Dhawan has been long struggling with his form and is yet to get his usual flare back and the performance is definitely a plus. Dhawan scored 42 off 32 while Rohit went on to score a 47-ball 60. The partnership added 97 runs. Full Cricket Updates: India vs Australia 2015-16, 2nd T20I at Melbourne

Virat Kohli’s usual top-class performance: Virat Kohli has been consistent all throughout the series and the second T20I was no exception. Kohli got into the field as Dhawan departed and took the innings further with his 33-ball 59. The flamboyant cricketer hit 7 fours and a picturesque six in his innings and remained unbeaten to see his side put up a total of 184 with the loss of 3 wickets. Kohli was later announced the Man of the match. READ: India win by 27 runs and take series 2-0 as spinners sink Australia in 2nd T20I at MCG

Yuvraj Singh’s comeback to international cricket: Yuvraj Singh played international cricket for India the last time in the final match of the ICC World T20 2014, against Sri Lanka. The hero of India’s many victories, Yuvraj went through a bad phase of his form for a long time and after a successful domestic season, he has been given a chance to prove himself. His fans across the world were no less eager than the cricketer himself and were waiting to see him in action. Though Yuvraj played in the last match, he wasn’t seen doing much except fielding and a brilliant catch but the second T20I saw a couple of overs being bowled by him. Yuvraj finished with a wicket giving 7 runs, with an economy of 3.50.

Ravindra Jadeja’s lightning fast catch: Many caught and bowled acts over the years has grabbed attention of viewers but what ‘Sir’ Ravindra Jadeja did in the second T20I was incredible, considering the height and the pace of the ball that hit Shane Watson’s thick bat. Even the umpire was seen ducking the ball but Jadeja had managed to grab it even before it was properly visible, an effort that left the departing Shane Watson in awe.

Aaron Finch kept the hopes alive:  The Indian bowlers did exceptionally well not letting the Australia batsmen take the cake away but there was only one in the pack who went past 50 and was looking quite dangerous. The Aussie T20I skipper Aaron Finch hit eight fours and two sixes but at last gave in to a bizarre run-out.

The brilliant stop at boundary by Umesh Yadav (substitute for Rohit Sharma): Umesh Yadav came in as a substitute for Rohit Sharma who had injured his thumb but showed some brilliant fielding. An impossible catch that he managed to get his hand, but the best by him has to be the boundary that he stopped. Yadav in order to chase the ball and stop it from getting to the ropes lost track of it. As he found out that it was racing towards the boundary once again, he made a successful dive and pushed it away and at the same time made sure that he doesn’t touch the rope during the act. Great effort there.

James Faulkner’s extended hand to pick up a fallen Virat Kohli: According to old sayings, all is well that ends well. The past few encounters saw a spat going on between India’s Virat Kohli and Australia’s James Faulkner that ended up with some verbal abuses. But the second T20I saw a nice gesture from the cricketers. As Kohli lost his balance after sending a ball towards boundary, Faulkner, who was bowling, came in extending his hand and picked Kohli up. As a return, Kohli patted Faulkner and both were caught smiling later. Hopefully, that explains the conclusion of the heated up relation between the two.

(Paulami Chakraborty, a singer, dancer, artist, and photographer, loves the madness of cricket and writes about the game. She can be followed on Twitter at @Polotwitts)

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