Shikhar Dhawan concedes Adam Zampa bowled well also backs India to come good

For Indian fans, it was a heartbreak at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday as their team lost narrowly to Australia in the first T20I of the three-match series. India needed to score 174 in 17 overs to win the game as per the DLS Method after a rain interruption and they ended up with 169 for 7 with Australian spinner Adam Zampa picking two vital wickets to be adjudged the Man of the Match.

For India, opener Shikhar Dhawan played a brilliant knock of 76 off 42 balls but could not take his side home. The other batsmen did not really rise to the occasion apart from Dinesh Karthik who scored a 13-ball 30 towards the later stages. Both captain Virat Kohli (4) and vice-captain Rohit Sharma (7) failed to deliver in the match, giving the opponents an opportunity to dominate.

Dhawan later conceded that it was Zampa (2 for 22 in four overs) who made the difference for Australia in the rain-affected game. He praised the 26-year-old leg-spinner but also at the same time, believed that India could plan better while tackling him. Zampa claimed the wickets of KL Rahul and Kohli to peg the visitors back around the half-way stage.

“Zampa was really influential in this match and bowled well. He had superb control and accuracy. His stats were very good for a spinner and when he took wickets, he changed the momentum. From that point of time the game started get out of our reach especially with Virat and KL getting out together,” Dhawan said after the match.

Chasing 174 in 17 overs is tough

The left-hander who hit his second consecutive fifty in the T20Is in the game following his 92 against the Windies at home earlier this month, said it was tough chasing the revised total of 174 in 17 overs. He also said India had conceded a few more runs and he got out trying to produce big overs while batting. Dhawan fell in the 12th over to fast bowler Billy Stanlake when India required 69 more off 32 balls.

He nevertheless, said that India will gain confidence from the game and look forward to the next one in Melbourne on Friday. “It was a good game, it was a very close match. We got a lot of confidence out of this game and we’ll take it forward in the next game,” he said.

On his own score on fast wickets of Australia, Dhawan said Indian batsmen have the experience of playing in Brisbane and it helped. He also had a word of praise for young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant who was playing for the first time in Australia.

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