Ruturaj Gaikwad, sporting his most composed appearance, entered the news conference following his first T20I century for India. As he recounted the shifting conditions and the dilemma it presented for India early on, it was hard to tell if his side had won or lost.
“At first, I thought it was a little tacky because there was some movement off the pitch and in the air, and the ball was stopping a little.” We lost two wickets in an over during the first two to three overs because of the wicket. Although forming a partnership was crucial, the wicket improved after seven or eight overs.
With the aggressive Suryakumar Yadav yet to bat, Ruturaj Gaikwad talked about how he originally controlled his aggression to adjust to the pitch and make sure a partnership was formed before making his unexpected comeback after his first twenty-odd balls.
“Losing three wickets in the powerplay is not typical. My plan and communication were clear: I would bat for a little period of time before taking the innings on, knowing that Surya was present and would play his shots.”
Though Australia’s Glenn Maxwell scored a huge 222/3, Gaikwad was ready to give him credit for his innings, which was unquestionably the game-changing moment given the equation when he came out to bat.
Australia lost their third wicket at 68 runs shortly after Maxwell walked out of the powerplay, needing a further 155 runs in 13.4 overs to win the series. In response, Maxwell scored Australia’s second-fastest century in Twenty20 internationals off just 47 balls, setting up an incredible last-ball chase.
“I think Maxi batted really well, and to win in a situation where they needed 100 from seven, seven-and-a-half overs, and then 50 from three overs, it was a creditable innings from him.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad, however, defended India’s death bowling, pointing out how hard it was to handle a wet ball given the amount of dew in the outfield and drawing a comparison to earlier games where the Australian bowlers had the same problem.
It was difficult for the bowlers as well since the dew was causing the ball to slip as our bowlers attempted to execute what they could control. Despite our last game score of 230, we knew the match would continue to the very last over, but with this kind of dew, these totals are inevitable and will undoubtedly be chased.
“Death bowling is not a problem in my opinion. Twelve runs an over, or even thirteen or fourteen, is doable under these circumstances. We were able to chase 210 with ease even in the first game. We have to accept that their circumstances are a little more difficult and go on.
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