IND vs AUS: I Think Having Had The Experience Of Playing IPL In India Before... I Felt Calm The Other Night – Tim David

Singapore-born Australian explosive batter Tim David has said that the experience of playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) in India helped him stay calm during the first T20I of the three-match T20I series between India and Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh on Tuesday, September 20.

Tim David made his T20I debut for Australia in the first T20I of the three-match series. He smashed crucial 18 runs and had a sensational 62 runs partnership with Matthew Wade that helped the Aaron Finch-led side win the match by 4 wickets.

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At a press conference ahead of the second T20I game between India and Australia, Tim David, who plays for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said that there can be an advantage for the teams batting second in Indian conditions.

“I think having had the experience of playing in India before and playing a fair bit of T20 cricket recently, I felt calm the other night because I knew that we’re in a good position to be able to chase those runs,” said David during a virtual press conference.

“And the way the pitch was playing so I think to get over the line, you know, that still has to happen. It doesn’t just happen straight away. And that was some brilliant performances from our batsman, the chase that score down.”

“Having some good experience playing in India, I think finishing off games and understanding how it can go and how the pitches can play or when it kind of lights up in front of you, so you know, there can be an advantage batting second in Indian conditions. That was a good experience – that IPL – to draw on to the other night out there in the middle,” added David. 

It was nice to have a familiar face out there – Tim David on Matthew Wade

Tim David, who has shared the dressing room with Matthew Wade at the Hobart Hurricanes, said it was good to have a familiar face in the middle during the run-chase.

“I played a fair bit with Maddie (Wade) but I haven’t batted with him that much. So it was nice to have a familiar face out there the other night and I think he did most of the heavy lifting,” he said.

“So to be stood the other end and watch him finish the game off was great. And that’s I guess it’s good stuff.”

While talking about his role in the Australian team, Tim David said that he will be playing the same role that he plays for the franchises in T20 leagues, which is the role of a finisher. He elaborated:

“I think my role on the team here is to be batting in the middle order. So that means that I’m not going to be facing a lot of balls in matches.

“And I’m probably going to try and put the foot down with my batting first or if we’re chasing, trying to finish off the game. So I’ve got to tick off my boxes of trying to play powerful shots, trying to clear the boundary and I think that’s a big part of my training.

“So I try and get volume in the nets because, let’s say, in a three-match series here I like face 20 balls …so I’ve got a lot of my work done in the nets. And be prepared to kind of be on for every ball.”

“I think it’s pretty straightforward. It’s very similar to what I’ve been playing T20 cricket over the last year and 18 months so I guess I’m trying to bring my experiences that I’ve had so far and just take the game on and help the team win games.”

When asked if he had ever thought that he would be playing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for Australia, David responded:

“To be honest, I didn’t give it very much thought. It’s just it’s kind of evolved naturally to be here at this stage. Yeah, I haven’t thought about that too much. I just look to win a game which is in front of me and don’t put any expectations on that.

“I just try and keep the game very simple. I don’t look too far ahead of myself. I’m trying to stay pretty grounded and train harder than that and just improve as much as I can.”

Also Read: Pat Cummins Offered As Much As $1 Million By Indian Inter-City T20 Leagues: Reports

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