Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
Australia v India: 5 key talking points. AUS vs IND: 5 key talking points from their CWC 2019 match.
The sight of blue at The Oval, so much so that any sight of yellow in the crowd – even that of the security guard, was something to behold.
India’s magnificent following all over the world was on show in London, certainly proving the be India’s 12th man in a strong, statement-making victory over fellow contenders Australia. India were in command from start to finish, scoring the biggest total conceded by any Australian side in World Cup history, then backing it up with a disciplined display in the field.
The way this game transpired makes it a challenge to review it all in just five key points. So, here goes:
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1. India’s openers set the tone
Australia needed early wickets. Aaron Finch knew it, and so did Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. The lack of movement on offer made life difficult for Starc and Cummins, but the Indian openers were so mature and measured in their approach that they knew runs could come after the initial burst.
22 came off the first seven overs. No panic. 14 came off the eighth, bowled by Nathan Coulter-Nile. India were on their way. In particular Shikhar Dhawan, who, despite a thumb injury as a result of lifting Pat Cummins’ delivery in the ninth over, took Australia apart to continue his magnificent record at The Oval.
127 was the opening stand in 22.3 overs. Rohit Sharma fell for 57, opening the door slightly for Australia; which was then shut as quickly by Dhawan and Virat Kohli. Thanks to the excellent platform, Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni could then play with freedom to finish the innings beautifully.
2. India’s all-round attack outplays Australia’s
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins were crucial for Australia. However, so too were the likes of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa, who made up the main part of the attack. While Coulter-Nile bounced back after a poor start, the form of Zampa is a concern.
Zampa has had an excellent 2019 to date. He was good in Australia’s series wins in India and UAE earlier this year. However, he has been poor so far in this World Cup, bowling all over the place to leave Aaron Finch’s head in a spin instead of the opposition batsmen. The potentially huge nail in Zampa’s CWC 2019 campaign was Finch’s desire to turn to Glenn Maxwell more than Zampa, who bowled more overs than Australia’s main spinner.
Compare Zampa to Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Australia’s slow start, despite losing no wickets, was met with discontent as you had two excellent wristspinners to follow. Chahal, in particular, was strong, mixing his pace beautifully but keeping his length consistent, producing a gorgeous grouping that gave no surprise as to why he conceded only three fours and a six in his entire spell. His figures of 2/62 look expensive when you only look at the numbers, but he never let Australia get going.
Zampa had to hold his own against India’s spinners, and he didn’t. Crucial.
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3. David Warner hurt Australia’s chances badly
David Warner came into the tournament in fine form. His IPL 2019 campaign was superb, striking nearly 100 runs more than his next contender, KL Rahul, in the top run-scorers list.
However, his form in CWC 2019 has been scratchy, and his innings in a chase of 353 was one of the best knocks for the day… for India.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar combined to put Warner out of his misery after 84 balls, playing out nearly as many dot balls (50) as he scored runs (56).
Also, in one of the turning points in the match, Warner played a key role in the run-out of Aaron Finch. Like a bad stock market, Finch wanted nothing to do with taking a risk for possible reward, until Warner was a quarter of the way down and Finch chose to potentially sacrifice his wicket. With Finch looking in magnificent touch, it proved to be a serious blow to Australia’s hopes.
4. Australia were pathetic in the death overs
Heading into the final ten overs of their chase, Australia were actually ahead of India at the 40-over mark. 238 played 236.
However, the final ten overs of India’s innings was a lesson in how not to bowl at the death. India took advantage of early Christmas gifts from the Australians, pummeling ball after ball into the sea of blue en route to 116 runs in the final 10 overs. Alex Carey dropped a regulation catch off Hardik Pandya’s first ball just before the final 10, which then set the tone for what was an awful display of death bowling.
Kohli played some blinding shots, including one over long-on to Mitchell Starc. Pandya did what Pandya does best in the slog overs. MS Dhoni’s huge six off Mitchell Starc is one for the highlight reels for years to come. However, Australia’s lack of yorkers at the death was astounding, landing slot ball after slot ball, giving catching practice to the crowd. India are too good not to take advantage, and Australia, who have capable death bowlers, obliged.
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5. Australia managed the chase poorly
Anyone who tuned in having not seen the score might have thought Australia were chasing 275 instead of 353.
The lack of urgency by the Australians was a disappointing feature of their batting performance, allowing the required run-rate to climb too high too soon. Warner’s struggles contributed to that, particularly as a result of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s outstanding bowling and Virat Kohli’s excellent management of his resources.
However, Australia’s strategic decisions in key moments cost them dearly. Once Warner was dismissed in the 24th over with the score 133, Australia had to send in Glenn Maxwell for some crucial impetus in the middle overs that puts Kohli and India under pressure. Instead, Australia chose to send in Usman Khawaja, and while he didn’t play a bad innings by any means, the lack of boundaries and big overs in his partnership with Steve Smith made the task all the more difficult. Worse, Glenn Maxwell came in and looked in fine touch, hitting five boundaries in his 14 balls that yielded 28 runs. India sent Hardik Pandya in at four, and Australia needed to do the same. They didn’t.
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Nice moment of the match:
Another key point was the great gesture from India captain Virat Kohli. With India fans booing Steve Smith, Kohli put an end to it, asking his fans to applaud Smith instead. It was a great show of sportsmanship, and would certainly win points the minds of his detractors.
Kohli, in fine sportsmanship and captaincy form, led his side to a 36-run win. It is one that could have been a lot more had it not been for Alex Carey’s impressive batting at the death overs.
Australia have work to do. From the make up of their bowling attack to the form of David Warner, the Aussies will be looking for an important win in their game against Pakistan in Taunton on Wednesday. For India, they play New Zealand next in the battle of the unbeaten.
Also, be sure check out my series of “five key talking points” from every CWC 2019 match! The latest:
England v Bangladesh: England take advantage of Bangladesh defensive approach
Afghanistan v New Zealand: Afghanistan look so distracted
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Thanks for reading!
