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India vs Australia: Shikhar Dhawan breaks Virat Kohli’s T20I record during Gabba blitz
Speaking after the match, Dhawan said that it was a good game and the chances that went begging on the field cost the Indians dear.
Shikhar Dhawan’s brilliant 42-ball 76 might have gone in vain as the visitors lost the opening T20I against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday, but the India opener became the highest run scorer in a calendar year in T20Is with the knock. He now has 648 runs from 16 games at a strike rate of 145.29. Dhawan took the top slot from none other than his teammate and India skipper Virat Kohli. The run-machine had scored 641 runs from 15 games in 2016.
Speaking after the game, Dhawan said that it was a good game and the chances that went begging on the field cost the Indians dear. “It was a good game of cricket. It was a very close match and both the teams played really well. We got a lot of confidence from this game and will take it forward to the next game.
“Of course missed chances in the field had their own impacts. The dropped catch and missed run out opportunity but that is part and parcel of the game and we took it in our stride. We conceded a few extra runs (in the middle overs) but otherwise we played well,” he said.
Chasing a stiff target thanks to the rain interruption, India started well, but lost wickets at regular intervals to end up on the losing side in the close encounter.
“I knew we had to score some big runs in those overs and I was looking for that when I got out. He (Zampa) was influential in this game and his statistics were very good. We needed momentum and he took wickets that moment. From there the game got a bit more away from us when Rahul and Kohli were dismissed. He bowled well and with a lot of control,” said Dhawan.
“It was a game where we had to target all the bowlers. We didn’t have much time (in the match). We tried to target him (Zampa) but he got us out. Next game, we will have better plans against him and implement them in the middle,” he added.
Rishabh Pant showed some brilliance towards the end and Dhawan praised the youngster.
“Playing at such big grounds is about thinking and experience. We have played here before as well and that experience is quite handy. Rishabh is a youngster and batted here for the first time. So, for him it was vital experience and he came here first time, and played such a knock,” he said.
“Brisbane is different because there is extra bounce here. The wicket seamed a bit in the starting as well and so I think we played well. It was an interesting game that we lost by only four runs,” he said.
