'Wade struggled through IPL. But when he plays for Australia...': Nehra explains reason behind Aussie star's GT failures

Ashish Nehra, who worked closely with Wade as head coach of Gujarat Titans, talked about the contrast in Australia star's performances in the IPL and in international colours.

India faced a four-wicket loss in the first T20I of the series against Australia on Tuesday. Despite putting a strong score of 208/6 after being invited to bat, India were outclassed by the defending world champions as Cameron Green (61) and Matthew Wade (45*) emerged as catalysts in Aussie victory, in addition to other significant contributions in the batting order. Wade, in particular, was key to the side's victory as he came at a time when Australia required a partnership following a flurry of wickets; they were 145/5 in 14.1 overs, requiring another 64 runs in merely 29 balls.

Matthew Wade (IPL/AP)

Wade's unbeaten 45 came off just 21 deliveries and former India bowler Ashish Nehra, who worked closely with the Australia wicketkeeper-batter during their stint with the Gujarat Titans in the 2022 Indian Premier League, talked about Wade's innings in detail. The Australia star had a forgettable outing in this year's edition of the league; in 10 matches, he scored 157 runs at a strike rate of merely 104.68.

Nehra tried to lift the lid on the potential reason behind Wade's poor outing in the league, and his improved performances in international colours.

“Matthew Wade struggled through the entire season. He opened, he batted at 3, but when he plays for Australia, he plays at 5 or 6. I remember the T20 World Cup last year when he smashed Shaheen Afridi for two sixes,” Nehra began, as he talked about the player on Cricbuzz.

“You wouldn't be surprised to see Cameron Green playing at 5-6. Similarly, you also wouldn't have been surprised if Wade had opened for Australia. That's the thing with batting order in T20s. It's just about what clicks for a player and when. For Wade, when he dons the Aussie colours and plays lower down the order, he uses that experience well,” Nehra explained.

Talking about Wade's gameplay in the 1st T20I, Nehra insisted that while Green “laid the foundation” for the Aussie win, it was Wade who played a crucial role in eventually steering them home. Nehra was also impressed with Wade's shot selections.

“Today, he played that lap shot or play through midwicket. But the 1-2 shots he played today, once against Harshal Patel where he waited for a slower ball and smashed it towards square leg.. that comes from experience,” said Nehra.

“Green had laid the foundation for Australia's win, but you needed someone who could provide a strong finish. It seemed even if the target was 218, Wade would've steered them to win.”