However, Rohit played a classy cut shot for a four against Pat Cummins to reduce the equation to 10 runs off the final over. Dinesh Karthik completed the victory in the first two balls from Daniel Sams, hitting a six and a four. In a shortened game, India won by six wickets with four balls to spare to level the three-match series. The captain’s warm embrace had relief written all over it for Karthik.
In any format, an eight-over-a-side game is never a proper contest. It’s a gamble, but India faced a fourth defeat in five T20Is u2013 against Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup, and against Australia in the first match here u2013 which would have sharpened the critics’ knives. From that standpoint, the victory, highlighted by Rohit’s batting and the return of Jasprit Bumrah’s searing yorkers, was a welcome relief.
The pitch was slow to start the game, and the ball didn’t bounce much. After Cameron Green was run out by an excellent Kohli throw, Axar Patel used his arm-balls to make early inroads. Axar used an armer to castle the dangerous Glenn Maxwell in that over. The ball angled in, forcing the batsman to make room and slog. However, it remained low, and Maxwell played over the delivery.
