India in Australia T20I series – Australia Player Ratings

Having won the ODI series quite comfortably against the touring Indian side, the Aussies decided to try out some new faces and combinations with the imminent World T20. They fielded as many as 19 different players spread across 3 games of T20.

But with lack of continuity in the playing XI, things didn’t quite fall into place for the mighty Aussies as they suffered a historic whitewash at the hands of the Indians with the final reading of 3-0.

Here are the Australian Player Ratings for the 3-match T20I series:

David Warner – 4/10

After becoming father for the second time, this little dynamite was in quite good form in the ODI series. But in the solitary T20 game that he represented Australia in, he couldn’t quite carry the momentum forward. He stayed at the crease for just 9 balls but still scored a quick 17, finding the boundary twice and clearing it once.

Aaron Finch – 8/10

The skipper in the shortest format for the Aussies continued his good form. In the two games he played before he injured his hamstring, he scored 118 runs at a rapid strike rate of 145.67. In the second game, he kept his team right into the chase with his belligerent 74 before he was unfortunately run out which handed over the match to the Indians.

Shane Watson – 9/10

Having not done much with the bat or the ball in the first two games, veteran Shane Watson decided to bring out his ‘A-game’ in the final encounter against India. He was also the stand-in captain in place of the injured Aaron Finch. Having decided to bat first, Watto was in some mood right from the first ball. He notched up an unbeaten 124 which is also the highest by a skipper. He came out rearing with the ball as well as he ended up with figures of 2 for 24. He ended the series with 151 runs and 3 wickets.

Steven Smith – 3/10

He is one man that India has come to fear the most lately. He has developed a knack of scoring big against the Indians. But it was not quite the case in the first T20 game which was also his only outing in the series. He was dismissed cheaply for 21 and his departure gave India a much-needed boost. Kohli’s send-off to Smith was worth noticing as well.

Shaun Marsh – 3/10

One might say that Shaun has been unlucky over the years for not getting many chances to represent his country. But he failed to take his opportunity completely in the T20 series. In the two games that he featured in, he could only muster up 32 runs and the worst part about it was the low strike rate of 91.42.

Chris Lynn – 2/10

After a superb Big Bash League where he was adjudged the player of the tournament, Chris Lynn got his deserved chance to play for his country. But boy, he failed miserably. He played all the three matches but could only score a total of 32 runs. It was almost as if he took his form for granted and each time got out attempting shots that were just not there to hit.

Glenn Maxwell – 2/10

The ‘Big Show’ was probably the biggest disappointment of the series. He was in decent touch in the ODI series and big things were expected of him in the T20 format but he failed to deliver and that too quite badly. Scoring just 4 runs in two games no way justifies this guy’s talents. He himself would have been terribly disappointed with himself as much as everyone else was.

Travis Head – 3/10

After a successful BBL campaign, Travis Head got drafted into the Australian T20 squad. He was provided two cracks but he failed to make a significant impact. Known as a powerful hitter, Head managed only 28 runs in the two outings as he failed to break the shackles at any stage.

Usman Khawaja – 4/10

The man who seemed to be in the form of his life and couldn’t do no wrong finally got his opportunity to play for Australia in the 3^rd T20. During his short stint at the wicket, he showed everyone exactly what he was capable of. His stay was as brief as 6 balls but he still managed to score 14 runs off them with two crisp boundaries.

James Faulkner – 2/10

On his day, James Faulkner could be quite the match-winner but of late things haven’t been happening for him. In the opportunities he got in the series, he could neither make much of a difference with the ball nor the bat. While he could pick up only 1 wicket in the 2 games going at over 11 runs an over, with the bat too he only managed a total of 20 runs.

Matthew Wade – 2/10

Matthew Wade might be short in height but is known as a pretty good striker of the ball lower down the order. Despite his reputation, he hasn’t been able to deliver the goods ever since the start of the ODI series. He played the first two games of the series. Needing quick runs in both games in chases, he failed to get going as he scored a total 21 runs at a modest strike rate of 95.45.

Cameron Bancroft – 2/10

Playing his first international game, Cameron Bancroft was asked to stand-in as a part-time wicket-keeper. After he didn’t get an opportunity to bat, he made a serious blunder with the gloves behind the wicket in the second innings. He missed a straightforward chance to stump batsman Suresh Raina on his first ball. Raina later went on to win the game for India.

Andrew Tye – 6/10

Andre Tye was picked into the Australian side based on the skills he displayed in the recently concluded Big Bash League. He is a genuine death-bowling specialist with a very good yorker in his armoury. On flat pitches, he bowled well to register overall figures 1 for 79 from two games.

Cameron Boyce – 7/10

The newcomer leggie, Cameron Boyce was given the nod ahead of Nathan Lyon for two games. He didn’t let down anyone who entrusted him. He was able to content the batsmen as he was landing the ball decently well. He went at just 7.28 runs per over on course of his 7 overs. He also picked up 2 crucial wickets in the final game of the series.

Shaun Tait – 2/10

The ‘wild thing’ as he is known and for obvious reasons, Shaun Tait was seen spraying the ball waywardly all over. The Indian batsmen took full toll of his inconsistent bowling as he leaked 91 runs in the 8 overs he bowled in his two outings. An economy rate of 11.37 depict his disappointing performances but that’s the risk one takes with an unpredictable bowler like him.

Scott Boland – 3/10

On flat decks tailor-made for run scoring, Scott Boland bowled with a lot of heart and executed really well in patches. His bowling figures of 64 for no wicket after 7 overs in two games do not show the full picture, though. A fledgling in international cricket, he has a long way to go from here.

John Hastings – 2/10

The busty fast bowler had a very memorable ODI series but he couldn’t quite repeat his heroics in T20 series. He featured in just one game in which he didn’t even bowl his full quota of overs. In the three overs, he was trusted with he conceded 35 runs while going wicketless.

Nathon Lyon – 1/10

Australia’s once premier spinner hasn’t lived up to the reputation in the shorter formats. He was given very little playtime. In the only match he played, he was asked to bowl just a one-off over which too went for 15 runs. It seems Australia are looking at other spinning resources for the limited-over formats.

Kane Richardson – 2/10

The strong and fast Aussie bowler was pretty impressive in the ODI leg. He too was required to play in just a solitary game in which he got quite a stick from the Indian batsmen. In his quota of 4 overs, Kane was taken apart by the batsmen for as many as 41 runs at 10.25 runs an over. Not the ideal result for the youngster, though he’d like to think of it as a one-off thing.