Mohammed Shami made a sensational return to the India set up as his blistering final over helped secure a six-run win over Australia in a pulsating T20 World Cup warm-up fixture.
Shami replaced the injured Jasprit Bumrah for the tournament Down Under and four wickets fell from the final four deliveries with defending champions Australia requiring 11 to win.
That was Shami’s only over of the game at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, a match where Aaron Finch (76) found form but only three other Australia batsmen made double figures as they were bowled for 180 – losing six wickets for just nine runs from the final two overs.
Earlier, KL Rahul (57 off 33) and Suryakumar Yadav (50 off 33) had guided India to 186-7, a total that had looked under-par until Shami’s heroics.
Shami steals the show
Shami was overlooked by India originally in favour of rising stars Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel but Bumrah’s misfortune provided him an opportunity, and boy did he take it in a brilliant final over that had started with Pat Cummins taking a couple of twos, before the Australia paceman came unstuck by a scarcely believable one-handed catch by Virat Kohli on the boundary.
More great work by Shami saw Ashton Agar run out when trying to sneak a bye, which preceded a couple of stunning Yorkers, uprooting the wickets of Josh Inglis and Kane Richardson, who had been the pick of Australia’s bowlers with figures of 4-30.
Finch finds his wings again
Australia may have lost the unlosable but a massive takeaway for the hosts was captain Finch finding form on the eve of the World Cup.
Finch had managed only one half-century in his past 10 T20I knocks, and amassed just 25 runs across three innings in the series loss to England. The Australia skipper not only scored runs against India, but did so with a strike rate of 140.74.
Suryakumar Yadav reaches 50 off 32 balls before getting out as Kane Richardson collects two in the final over to finish with four scalps and India post 7-186#AUSvIND | #T20WorldCuphttps://t.co/wD1r91jiLm pic.twitter.com/kUt07F83Rh
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 17, 2022
Source: Livescore