Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today lavished praise on his team's bowlers, lauding them for doing a remarkable job in the ongoing Twenty20 series against Australia which the visitors today sealed by taking a 2-0 lead.
India today beat Australia by 27 runs in the second T20 to take the unbeatable lead in the three-match series. "Spinners did a great job, also Hardik (Pandya's) over with that wicket (of Chris Lynn) was good. Jasprit Bumrah has done well at death bowling. He has bowled yorkers. It is your choice if you want to bowl back of a length if the pitch is good, but if you are not bowling yorkers because you can't bowl them, you will go for runs," said Dhoni at the post match presentation.
India rode on Rohit Sharma (60) and Virat Kohli's (59) half-centuries, along with a useful 42 by Shikhar Dhawan to post a formidable 184 for three, before bowlers put up a fine collective effort to rip through Australia's middle order and restrict the hosts to 157/8.
At one stage, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch and Shane Watson were going strong but Ravindra Jadeja took a stunning reflex return catch to send off the latter in the 15th over.
Talking about that catch, Dhoni said: "That Jadeja catch was fantastic. That was a crucial part of the game. No wonder commentators keep saying catches win matches."
Dhoni felt the support his team received from the crowd here has been fantastic. "It was fantastic. The support was very good. It has always been very good even when we are not playing well," said the captain.
Man-of-the-match Kohli said he loved the pace and bounce that the wicket offered.
"I love coming to Australia," said Kohli. "There is good pace, there is good bounce, I love the challenge, and we get good Indian crowds as well. Nothing different from back home I am very happy, I could contribute at an important time. We sealed the series today."
Heaping praise on openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, Kohli said they provided a perfect platform for the team to post a challenging total.
"Shikhar took a bit of time getting into the one-day series, but he is showing how dangerous he is. And Rohit, once he gets going, there is no better sight. The way they went after the bowling it can demoralise sides," said Kohli. "They gave a solid platform and I could take the game from where they had left," he added.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson also applauded the Indian spinners. "It was a big target. We made a good start but lost our way. Their spinners are very very skilled. Even when it is not turning they are effective. They play a lot of T20 cricket," said Watson, who came for a chat in place of skipper Aaron Finch, who is down with his hamstring injury.
Finch pulled his hamstring while trying to complete a run but got out. "Aaron Finch has hurt his hamstring, the run-out made it worse. He is getting it assessed. We are keeping our fingers crossed," said Watson.
Australia might have already lost the T20 series but Watson said the last game will provide his side plenty of opportunities to put their hand up and make it count.
"Sunday is very important. At the moment we are testing out a few players, which makes it challenging, but it is also an opportunity for guys to put their hand up," he insisted.
India today beat Australia by 27 runs in the second T20 to take the unbeatable lead in the three-match series. "Spinners did a great job, also Hardik (Pandya's) over with that wicket (of Chris Lynn) was good. Jasprit Bumrah has done well at death bowling. He has bowled yorkers. It is your choice if you want to bowl back of a length if the pitch is good, but if you are not bowling yorkers because you can't bowl them, you will go for runs," said Dhoni at the post match presentation.
India rode on Rohit Sharma (60) and Virat Kohli's (59) half-centuries, along with a useful 42 by Shikhar Dhawan to post a formidable 184 for three, before bowlers put up a fine collective effort to rip through Australia's middle order and restrict the hosts to 157/8.
At one stage, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch and Shane Watson were going strong but Ravindra Jadeja took a stunning reflex return catch to send off the latter in the 15th over.
Talking about that catch, Dhoni said: "That Jadeja catch was fantastic. That was a crucial part of the game. No wonder commentators keep saying catches win matches."
Dhoni felt the support his team received from the crowd here has been fantastic. "It was fantastic. The support was very good. It has always been very good even when we are not playing well," said the captain.
Man-of-the-match Kohli said he loved the pace and bounce that the wicket offered.
"I love coming to Australia," said Kohli. "There is good pace, there is good bounce, I love the challenge, and we get good Indian crowds as well. Nothing different from back home I am very happy, I could contribute at an important time. We sealed the series today."
Heaping praise on openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, Kohli said they provided a perfect platform for the team to post a challenging total.
"Shikhar took a bit of time getting into the one-day series, but he is showing how dangerous he is. And Rohit, once he gets going, there is no better sight. The way they went after the bowling it can demoralise sides," said Kohli. "They gave a solid platform and I could take the game from where they had left," he added.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson also applauded the Indian spinners. "It was a big target. We made a good start but lost our way. Their spinners are very very skilled. Even when it is not turning they are effective. They play a lot of T20 cricket," said Watson, who came for a chat in place of skipper Aaron Finch, who is down with his hamstring injury.
Finch pulled his hamstring while trying to complete a run but got out. "Aaron Finch has hurt his hamstring, the run-out made it worse. He is getting it assessed. We are keeping our fingers crossed," said Watson.
Australia might have already lost the T20 series but Watson said the last game will provide his side plenty of opportunities to put their hand up and make it count.
"Sunday is very important. At the moment we are testing out a few players, which makes it challenging, but it is also an opportunity for guys to put their hand up," he insisted.
