Australia vs India 2018-19: I Am Very Happy to Get Virat Kohli's Wicket - Jhye Richardson

A late resurgence from Australia’s batsmen and brilliant effort from their bowlers helped the hosts take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Indian National Cricket team at Sydney. Jhye Richardson was the main architect of Australia’s win as he single-handedly broke the backbone of India’s batting.

Australia banked on a late resurgence from their batsman after an early collapse to post 288 runs on the board. Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh started to rebuild the innings. They both scored their individual half-centuries before departing. Since then, Peter Handscomb (73) and Marcus Stoinis (47) shifted gears to take the attack to the opposition. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav bagged two wickets apiece for India.

However, India had the worst possible start as they lost their first three-wickets inside four runs with Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Ambati Rayudu already back in the hut. Jason Behendroff and Jhye Richardson shed fire as the Indian top-order looked unsettled. Rohit Sharma stood tall from one end while MS Dhoni joined him at the other end. The duo added more than 100 runs for the fourth wicket to bail India out on danger.

MS Dhoni, who was going through a poor run scored a half-century thus helping Rohit Sharma to play his shots. But Dhoni departed soon after reaching his fifty while Rohit Sharma carried on. He also stitched a small partnership with Dinesh Karthik before that latter departed. Although Rohit played a magical knock of 133 runs, it was not enough to secure a win for the Indian National Cricket team.

I am very happy to get Kohli’s wicket

Jhye Richardson made a significant mark as Australia begins their preparation for the upcoming ICC World Cup. Richardson bagged four crucial wickets giving away only 26 runs from his full quota. Speaking at the end of the game, he said that Virat Kohli’s wicket was the most precious.

“Credit to them, they gave us a run for our money in those middle overs. When you have a team three down early, it becomes difficult to bounce back. I am very happy to get (Kohli’s) wicket, but more happy with the win. As a bowling unit, we are clear about our plans, doing our homework and being professional out there. I think it was about assessing the conditions more than anything else. Felt like bashing the wicket was quite difficult here. In the end, it became easier to bowl with the softer ball. My finger’s fine,” Richardson said after the match.