India registered a superb six-wicket victory over Australia in the third and final T20I to clinch the series 2-1 here at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Sunday.
Coming into match with the series levelled, Rohit Sharma & Co. showed great class and temperament in the do or die situation and the lot of credit for the victory goes down to the way Indian batting unit.
Chasing a stiff target of 187, the duo of Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav batted brilliantly during the middle phase to help India register their first ever T20I series victory since 2013 against Australia at home.
Kohli who is slowly picking up his form scored 63 off 48 deliveries including three fours and four sixes; while Surya hit a blistering 69 off 36 balls that consisted of five towering sixes and as many boundaries.
Talking during a cricket special show on India News presented by Dafanews, Rajkumar Sharma, Virat’s childhood coach heaped praise on him and said, “Virat has batted beautifully in the match and has delivered on the expected lines for India. Virat played his role to perfection and the way he paced his innings was splendid. The good thing for India is that Virat is getting back to his old nick and that is a great sign for the team.”
While Virat was a class apart in the match, it was the performance of Surya that gave the required impetus to India’s batting in the second innings. “SKY (Surya) was also great and the way he mounted an attack on the Australian bowlers took the game away. The kind of shots that he played were simply outstanding and having him in the middle is a huge plus for India,” Sharma added.
Speaking on the match-winning performance between Surya and Virat, the Dronacharya awardee said, “The best about their partnership was the strategy that they played with. Virat was going great guns but he slowed down and played a second fiddle when SKY started taking the Aussie bowlers to cleaners. And when he got out, Virat again switched gears which was phenomenal.”
“Also the running between the wickets have been great between the two and it shows the kind of understanding they have in the middle,” he added.
Sharma believed that the way the Indian team is batting and the way everyone is contributing to the cause of the team is just what the team needed ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
“It is a great sign that the top order is standing up at the right moment for the team. Rohit is leading from the front and the intent which he is batting is phenomenal. I think it is the right way to go after the batting in the powerplay overs. Even Rahul is showing that intent but unfortunately, he is not getting enough runs on the board. But I don’t think that is a not a matter of worry. And the way Virat and Sky is holding up the middle order, it shows that the team is peaking up at the right time ahead of the T20 World Cup,” he concluded.