India handed a 37-run drubbing to Australia in the 1st T20 of the three-match series at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
It was one of those performances which will make all the Indian cricket fans heave a sigh of relief ahead of the busy T20 season.
It was a good all-round performance from India as they were too hot to handle on Tuesday.
Let us take a look at how much marks the Indian players got out of 10 after the first T20:
Shikhar Dhawan - After a good end to the ODI series, much was expected from him at the top of the order alongside Rohit Sharma. He could only manage 5 runs from 8 balls and that is something which will not please the fans. Rating - 4/10.
Rohit Sharma - He has been in sublime touch ever since he has landed in Australia. Everything he hits seems to come out right out of the middle of the bat. He gave India the perfect start and built that platform where the remaining batsmen can come out and finish it off in style. His brisk innings of 31 from 20 balls was just the kind of knock India needed at the top of the order. Rating - 7/10.
Virat Kohli - Can he do anything wrong at this moment? Absolutely not! Kohli has been in red-hot form against Australia and his affair with the Adelaide Oval continued on Tuesday as he played his career best T20 knock of 90 runs from just 55 balls with a strike rate of above 160. He powered India to a total of 188/3, which at the end was way too much for the Aussies to chase. Rating 10/10.
MS Dhoni - The fans got to see a glimpse of the vintage Dhoni during the 1st T20 on Tuesday. His 11 from 3 balls helped India cross that 180-run mark. The skipper was also spot on with his field placements and tactics against the Australian batsmen. This is exactly what India need from their beloved captain ahead of the Asia Cup T20 and the ICC World T20 2016. Rating 8/10.
Ravindra Jadeja - Jaddu bowled the most economical spell during the 1st T20 against the Aussies. He aslo picked up the crucial wickets of Steve Smith and Travis Head. In his spell of four overs, he conceded just 21 runs. He also took a brilliant catch in the outfield to dismiss Matthew Wade. Rating 8/10.
Yuvraj Singh - We did not get to see much of Yuvi so we would prefer not marking him on that. Rating - N.A.
Suresh Raina - He was disappointed after he was dropped from the India ODI squad against Australia and Raina had to prove his worth in the shortest format of the game. He played a good supporting role to Kohli. Raina was not able to time the ball and thus decided to give much of the strike to Kohli who was easily piercing the gaps on the field. His innings of 41 runs proved to be useful at the end. The swashbuckling left-handed batsman will want to be at his best in the next two T20s. Rating - 7/10.
Ravichandran Ashwin - Aaron Finch and David Warner took him on and smashed 17 runs in his first over which left MS Dhoni in a spot of bother during the 1st T20. But Ashwin made a remarkable comeback after he removed Finch and Shane Watson. His next three overs proved to be economical. Jadeja and Ashwin conceded 49 runs together in their 8 overs between them. Rating - 7/10.
Hardik Pandya - The debutant made a poor start to his spell after he bowled five wides and Smith was happy to hit him for 19 runs in that over. Dhoni believed in the youngster and gave him a couple of overs towards the end. Pandya picked up a couple of wickets in the form of the dangerous Chris Lynn and Matthew Wade. Rating - 6/10.
Jasprit Bumrah - He has impressed all of the fans and skipper MS Dhoni as well. Bumrah's death bowling skills are widely spoken about and now he will be a very handy weapon for Dhoni in the upcoming busy season. This youngster will just have to consistent. Rating - 8.5/10.
Ashish Nehra - It was not a great comeback for the left-arm seamer. Nehra last played for India in the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011. After that he has backed himself to perform well in the domestic circuit. Now he will have to be at his best yet again so that it takes a little bit of pressure off Dhoni who faced a lot of criticism few days ago after losing the ODI series. Rating - 7/10.
