Twitter Reacts As Australia Pull Off Thriller Against India In First T20I

Jhye Richardson and Pat Cummins kept their nerves to score 13 runs off the final over as Australia beat India by 3 wickets in the first T20I.

Chasing a modest 127, Australia were off to a disastrous start.  Marcus Stoinis, promoted to open the innings, was run-out for just 1 before Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Aaron Finch on the first ball to reduce Australia to 5 for 2. However, before the hosts could make further inroads in the game, D’Arcy Short, fresh off his stunning campaign in the Big Bash League, and Glenn Maxwell joined hands to rescue the visitors.

The duo mixed caution with aggression to bring the chase back on track to put Australia on top.  The two early strikes had pegged Australia back but Short and Maxwell were in elements and batted their side to safety and set the platform for the win.

FIFTY for @Gmaxi_32 from 40 balls as Australia's reigning T20 Player of the Year is getting the job done in Vizag. Aussies now need 44 off 42 #INDvAUS https://t.co/vHl4XsuVm4 pic.twitter.com/sLYAVHjozr

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 24, 2019

India finally managed to break the stand when Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed Maxwell for 56 to end the 84-run stand.  Australia were well on top when Maxwell departed. With 29 runs needed off the last five overs and seven wickets in hand, it looked all over for the hosts. However, the game turned on its head when Umesh Yadav conceded just three in the 16th over and Short was run-out in that very over. Jasprit Bumrah then bowled a superb 19th over, conceding just two runs while dismissing Peter Handscomb and Nathan Coulter-Nile.

However, Umesh Yadav could not stop Richardson and Cummins from scoring the 13 runs in the final over.

Earlier in the game, the Australian bowlers came up with a fine effort to restrict the formidable hosts to a modest 126 for 7. Asked to bat first, India were off to poor start as their in-form opener Rohit Sharma could score just five before returning to the pavilion. Comeback man KL Rahul and Virat Kohli then hit a flurry of boundaries to bring the innings on track. However, before the duo could bat India to a solid position, Adam Zampa struck.

The leg-spinner made Kohli miscue one to reduce India to 69 for 2 and it ultimately derailed India’s innings. The Men in Blue lost wickets at regular intervals which never allowed them to get the impetus. Rahul scored a fifty on his comeback but the likes of Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya failed to play their parts.

MS Dhoni held firm from one end but with no one to support from the other, he just could not score fast and ended up scoring 29 off 35 balls. For Australia, Nathan Coulter-Nile was the most successful bowler,  picking up 3 for 26.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the match:

Imagine being Bumrah. You almost pull it off for your team and realise you have Umesh Yadav on your side !!! #IndvAus

— Prabhu (@Cricprabhu) February 24, 2019

Full credit to Australia for taking a nothing-game, making it into a something-game, and then handing it to Umesh Yadav who beyond all expectations pushed it to the last ball.#IndvAus

— Gaurav Sethi (@BoredCricket) February 24, 2019

only ms dhoni is happy with umesh yadav??#INDvAUS

— sunil the cricketer (@1sInto2s) February 24, 2019

India’a selectors/team management need to seriously think about utter lack of batting ability in India’s tail in limited overs cricket

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) February 24, 2019

https://twitter.com/CricCrazyNIKS/status/1099712419964702720

Boom boom ? @Jaspritbumrah93 what a player ✌??

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) February 24, 2019

https://twitter.com/Gujju_Jon/status/1099710059678916608

Fantastic fightback by India. Superb bowling by Bumrah & Co. And have to eat my words about @msdhoni’s knock which has kept his team in the game still!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) February 24, 2019

https://twitter.com/sagarcasm/status/1099710597283729408

Aus showing nerves and feeling the pressure in what looked to be an easy chase. Now it isn’t. Will be. tight finish. Elsewhere, @rashidkhan_19 destroying Ireland’s batting with a other magnificent spell. Any stats on how often he has won matches for Afghanistan on his own?

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) February 24, 2019

Maxwell is killing it with some breathtaking strokes

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) February 24, 2019

Glenn Maxwell hit 3 boundaries to Umesh Yadav
*Indians to Maxwell*#INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/RFMK6EPola

— Subham. (@subhsays) February 24, 2019

Glenn Maxwell out after an impressive half century on a difficult wicket, if he had the desire n hunger of a Virat Kohli, would have been one of the top players in the world #INDvAUS

— Sanjjeev (@Sanjjeev) February 24, 2019

Even if someone wakes me up from deep sleep, I would get up and tell Finch is an LBW/bowled candidate. Each time 🙂 #AUSvIND

— Bharath Ramaraj (@Fancricket12) February 24, 2019

bumrah is pure gold

— sunil the cricketer (@1sInto2s) February 24, 2019

Australia start run chase nervously as if unbelieving they have such a paltry score to chase. And Finch clearly looks a ‘bunny’ for this Indian team

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) February 24, 2019

https://twitter.com/wtfmansi/status/1099682246485630983

Lowest SR by an India batsman in a T20I inns of 35+ balls:

71.42 – Jadeja 25 (35) v Eng, 2009
78.37 – MS DHONI 29* (37) TODAY
84.44 – D Mongia 38 (45) v SA, 2006#IndvAus

— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) February 24, 2019

https://twitter.com/khurafatijaat/status/1099687446655037440

https://twitter.com/Munnaa09/status/1099703116755275776

https://twitter.com/RoshanKrRai/status/1099685050507964418

Dhoni is hitting towards fielders every ball just to check which fielder is weak, so he could utilize it in World Cup. Legend! #INDvAUS

— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) February 24, 2019

Dropped Karthik for adjusting KL Rahul in 15.
Dropped Shikhar Dhawan to adjust KL Rahul in Playing 11.

Next Virat will drop himself and adjust KL Rahul as the Indian captain.#INDvAUS

— Abhishek ︎ (@ImAbhishek7_) February 24, 2019