IPL 2016

IPL 2016 match in Rajkot will be as much about Pune SuperGirants vs Gujarat Lions as it will be about MS Dhoni vs Suresh Raina.

UPDATED: APRIL 14, 2016 5:48 PM

BOTH PUNE and Rajkot made great first impressions on their respective first dates in the IPL. While Rising Pune Super Giants scored a massive victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions put on a power-packed show to see off former finalists Kings XI Punjab. On Thursday, the Lions will play host for the first-time as the T20 bandwagon lands up in Rajkot. But the meeting will be as much about Pune v Rajkot as it will be about Dhoni v Raina. It will be a contest where a devoted apprentice finally tries to break out of the shadow of his long-standing leader in a head-to-head battle. Speaking of leaders, there’s no dearth of them with both sides possessing a number of international captains in their mix. T20 though is often more about individuals and their contributions than collective endeavours. We look at who was hot and who was not with bat and ball in their previous matches, and also whether any of the reserves is in contention for a call-up.

Also Read: We will play positive cricket: Raina

With bat in hand

Few foreign cricketers in the IPL have been in demand as perennially as Aaron Finch, who is now representing his sixth franchise in seven seasons. And he showed just why, smashing a match-winning 74 off 47 while typically bullying the Punjab bowlers.

Over the last two years, Dinesh Karthik has generally made more news before the IPL begins for his opulent price-tag than for how he justifies it during the tournament. For, he hasn’t. This time around the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman was lapped up by Gujarat for Rs 2.3 crore—a significant reduction in his buying price—but he started the season off in style guiding his new team home with a stroke-filled 26-ball 41.

It’s been an unusual career move for Ajinkya Rahane in the IPL. For years, he was the star shining bright on top of the many unheralded lights at Rajasthan Royals, but is now the more unsung of the superstars that the Giants possess. But he held his own at the Wankhede Stadium scoring an unbeaten 42-ball 66 to down Mumbai.

With ball in hand

Praveen Kumar started the innings off with a delivery that will remain his signature long after he hangs up his boots, a patented in-swinger that curved back in a parabolic path to literally knock Murali Vijay off his feet. He then continued to keep the Punjab top-order in check with a spell that spoke both of vast experience and trademark skill.
In many ways, Kumar had Dwayne Bravo to blame for stealing his thunder as the Trinidadian champion produced two magical yorkers to remove Maxwell and Miller before returning with another two-wicket burst to finish with his best-ever T20 figures of 4/22, that also made him the first bowler to go past 300 wickets in this format.

For long, Australian cricket has projected Mitchell Marsh as the man to replace the now-retired Shane Watson as the match-changing all-rounder. So far he’s flattered to deceive mainly. But it was he who stung Mumbai with two quick wickets in his spell to finish with figures of 2/21. Rajat Bhatia and Murugan Ashwin were the chief architects of Mumbai’s demise though as they choked the quick-scoring middle-order, and also struck crucial blows. Their combined figures of 8-1-26-2, were indicative of Pune’s dominance.

News from the Bench

The only disappointment in Pune’s debut show was the ageing RP Singh being taken apart by Harbhajan Singh, which could prompt a call-up for either Ishwar Pandey or Ashok Dinda. Gujarat went in with Sarabjeet Ladda and Pradeep Sangwan, leaving Pravin Tambe and Dhawal Kulkarni on the bench. Sense might prevail on Thursday.

WORLD CUP T20

South Africa vs England: Joe Root top scored for England with a 44-ball 83. (Source: PTI)

England, riding high on Joe Root’s 44-ball 83, gun down 230 to complete record chase in World T20 on Friday. South Africa ticket all boxes – setting a steep total – but didn’t bowl well to defend the mammoth total. Their bowlers, from Steyn to Abbott, were hit to all parts of the park. (Full Coverage||Fixtures||Points Table)

Scorecard: South Africa vs England, ICC World T20 (Click here)

England (230/8) beat South Africa (229/4) by two wickets, complete record World T20 chase

Live Cricket Updates: South Africa vs England, ICC World  T20

2300 hrs IST: ALL OVER! Moeen Ali with the winning runs. England complete record World T20 chase, beat South Africa by two wickets

2257 hrs IST: WICKET! WICKET! First Jordan, now Willey. England still need one run for win

2248 hrs IST: WICKET! Root hits the Rabada full toss to Miller in the deep. England 219/6

2240 hrs IST: 200 up for England in the 17th over of the chase

2238 hrs IST: SIX! Root goes straight, goes big. Reduces England’s equation to 32 from 22

2233 hrs IST: WICKET! Twist in the tale? Buttler is out stumped off Tahir. England 186/5

2230 hrs IST: Equation very much under control for England. They need 47 from 30 balls

2228 hrs IST: Root reverse-scoops for a boundary, brings up his FIFTY off 29 balls

2224 hrs IST: We are into the last six overs, England need 60. Game on in Mumbai

2215 hrs IST: Steyn back into the attack for a crucial second spell. He went for 23 in his first over

ICC World T20

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India take on New Zealand in their ICC World T20 opener on Tuesday. (Source: PTI)

Indian cricket team is in the zone and everything they have touched in the last 12 matches has turned into gold. From Hardik Pandya to Jasprit Bumrah, the MS Dhoni-led unit has finally found players for situations, not positions.(Full Coverage|| Fixtures||Photos)

CURRENT

RESULTS

FIXTURES

SCO

V

 HK

Scotland Beat Hong Kong By 8 Wickets (D/L Method)

SCORECARD

BAN

V

 OMN

Bangladesh Beat Oman By 54 Runs (D/L Method)

SCORECARD

NED

V

 IRE

Netherlands Beat Ireland By 12 Runs

SCORECARD

ZIM

V

 AFG

Afghanistan Beat Zimbabwe By 59 Runs

SCORECARD

India seems to have switched on cruise control from the Australia T20 series. The batsmen were consistent even during the 1-4 loss in the ODIs, but it was the role played by the bowlers which lifted this unit. The combination of Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah turned out to be ideal for MS Dhoni as the seamers gave the skipper what he was searching for the past year: early wickets.

Dhoni tried various combinations from Bhuvneshwar to Umesh to even Ashiwn, but nothing clicked. India conceded runs and surrendered games after posting decent totals – refer the Australia ODIs. The wait, however, ended with Nehra’s return and inclusion of the skillful Bumrah.

SWOT: India’s World T20 squad

Bumrah is not a big mover of the ball, nowhere close to Bhuvneshwar of the old or Mohammed Shami at his peak. But what separates him from the rest are the angles he generates and ability to hit the block-hole more often than not.

With Bumrah, Dhoni gets enough penetration at the start and a tight over or two at the death. A controlled seamer bowling from the other end allows Nehra to go for wickets. The veteran, during his on-off stint with India, became the captain’s ‘favourite’ for his ability to pick wickets.

READ: India get a feel of the expectations in Mumbai

Nehra does leak a boundary here and there, but his early inroads puts the opposition on the mat early in the innings. And, even in the shorter format, wickets are gold, more so because they result in a dot ball.

In the last ten T20I matches he played, Nehra returned with 13 wickets at an economy of 7.61 and strike-rate of 15.6. Bumrah has done even better, picking 15 wickets in his 11 matches and conceding only 6.15 runs every over. If not lethal, India’s combination is turning out to be very effective so far.

With the seamers falling into place, Pandya’s inclusion gave this team much-needed balance. For India, it had always been spin, seam, batsmen and wicket-keeper. They tried Stuart Binny and failed, tried to convert Ashwin into one and failed again. Ravindra Jadeja did the job but not on a consistent basis.

After the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy – India’s domestic T20 competition – talks of Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder, gained ground. The Baroda right-hander rose to prominence during his IPL days with Mumbai Indians, but it was the run with Baroda in the domestic competitions which earned him a national call, ahead of his limited-overs state captain Irfan Pathan.

SACHIN: Bumrah can be game changer for India

Pandya, as Dhoni has often said, comes as a full package, much like the West Indies players. He bats, he bowls and is a leopard on the field. Safe pair of hands and ability to cover ground with ease gives his game a third dimension, completing the package.

Pandya, unlike Stuart Binny, India’s previous all-rounder, is not military-medium. He hits the deck hard, can generate bounce and flirts with the 140 kmph mark. Yes, he could be held guilty for swaying with emotions and erring in line, but he would only learn with a calm skipper keeping a close eye from behind the stumps.
He scored only 62 runs in 11 matches, but they have come at a strike-rate of 147.61. And in those 11 matches he has scalped 10 wickets conceding only 7.11 runs per over. Plus, add the seven catches, including a couple of blinders. India’s wait for a seam-bowling all-rounder could finally be over.

Live Score, India U-19 vs West Indies U-19, U-19 World Cup final: West Indies inch closer to trophy

Live Cricket Score, U-19 World Cup final, India vs West Indies: India take on West Indies on Sunday. (Source: ICC)

India U-19, unbeaten in the tournament so far, take on an inspired West Indies U-19 unit in the ICC U-19 World Cup final on Sunday. Catch the live scores and live updates from the match here. You canfollow the match in Hindi also.

Live cricket updates: India U-19 vs West Indies U-19

1532 hrs IST: Edge of the seat stuff! West Indies need 14 runs from 20 balls.

1522 hrs IST: Fruitful over for the West Indies to overcome rising required rate. Avesh concedes crucial six runs. Need 25 runs from 6 overs.

1512 hrs IST: What they’re playing for

The U-19 World Cup trophy (Source: ICC)

1511 hrs IST: That’s that for Mayank Dagar in this match. A tough catch chance for Rishabh Pant and that brings to an end his bowling spell. Finishes with figures of 10-1-25-3.

1509 hrs IST: SIX! Dagar gets hit for a six by Keemo Paul. That’s got to reduce the pressure on West Indies.

1500 hrs IST: Dagar is spinning the ball beautifully to earn himself more praise.

1430 hrs IST: Dagar earning plaudits from players – past and present.

Sri Lanka vs India: Good wake-up call to start World T20 preparations

MS Dhoni felt that another 25-30 runs could have made the contest interesting. (Source: PTI)

“Kaisa bhi wicket ho, hain toh India ka wicket! (Whatever it is, it is India’s wicket after all)” MS Dhoni smiled as he admitted being surprised by the slightly spicy Pune pitch, placing it in the context of returning from run-fests in Australia. Sometimes, acclimatisation to home conditions too makes its presence in cricket.

REPORT: Rookie pacers rattle India

Pune threw a naughty wink at cricketers used to flat tracks in India on Tuesday. And yet, at the end of a day when Indian batsmen were hustled by seam movement and bounce, it felt peevish to have a go at them. After all they have just returned from fattening themselves with runs on batting paradises in Australia and who would have thought they would be ambushed at home.

PHOTOS: India fall apart

One criticism could be laid on them that they didn’t adjust quickly enough and make course corrections after a horrendous start but that loses some sting considering the kind of pitches that are likely to roll their way in the lead-up and during the T20 World Cup.

However, this match also threw up another viewpoint, one that’s bound to cause some headaches for India. Even when Virat Kohli comes back, Yuvraj Singh and to an extent Suresh Raina can’t be trusted yet to pull India out of Pune-shaped holes. Even on tracks less spicy than this and certainly on pitches like this.

In a big game, even without the pitch being as tricky as this, the Indian middle order could find the task of revival difficult. They could ride on good starts without much fuss but can they pull India out of mini-crises? Luckily, there is still a month to go for the big event, and India will get a few more opportunities to iron out the middle-order muddle.

However, this performance also throws up another prism to look at. In the T20 format and considering the nature of the pitches that can be expected in general, India see more value in going with an all-out approach, as that cliché goes. And more often than not, it’s bound to be successful. Yes, Yuvraj and Raina, and possibly even Shikhar Dhawan, could have reacted better, and toned down their frenetic approach, but it doesn’t come as naturally to them.

Dhoni was asked a direct question about Yuvraj and Raina in such scenarios. Can other batsmen apart from you (Dhoni) change their game according to the pitch? “In this format we don’t need to change too much. Even if you change six balls, if you go run a ball for even six balls, the whole game can change.

If somebody scores 10 runs in two balls we say very well played. If somebody did that in 50 overs, we say hey you should have batted on. The demands of T20 are different. We will play T20 for a long time (in the immediate future). The consolidation period is from six to 10 balls. At the same time we have to look at the wicket.”

Fair call

The captain’s sentiment is obviously coming from the pitches that he is expecting will be rolled out in the future, and it’s a fair call. But he has to be ready for situations where if the top order gets shot out early and his middle gets a bit wobbly and he might have to push himself up the order to guide them through.

Dhoni believes this experience will help them find a way. “It is very rare in this format that all wickets fall. Usually this doesn’t happen, especially if you bat deep I don’t think it is a bad idea to test everyone. You will find out how strong the lower order is. If till the World Cup we keep playing on the strength of our top order, then the lower order could have to bat in a crucial situation all of a sudden.”

The home leg too has started just as the Australian tour had begun, with a slightly different twist. In Australia, in the ODIs initially, the Indian batsmen couldn’t quite up their tempo to set a target that would push Australia. Here, the batsmen couldn’t quite tone down their approach to set a lower-than-usual total and not aim too high. However, in the bigger picture, this is exactly the kind of game that India needed a month before the World Cup.

Bats of India’s did all the talking in Australia

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were majestic throughout the series. (Source: AP)

In nearly every media interaction on this tour, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhonirepeatedly kept referring to the side’s previous tour to Australia, spread across late 2014 and early 2015. He spoke of the trip in a loud and emphatic way, emphasing on how he trusted and backed his players to deliver in due course, even though they were being wound down by the hosts, first in the winless tri-series, and then later in the World Cup semifinals.

The nucleus of the side was more or less the same, and they were expected to offer considerable challenge, if not beat, the hosts. But they dramatically wilted every time they spotted the canary yellow jersey. It seemed some kind of a mental block, as they buckled down to the eventual, and deserving, world champions.

Also Read: ‘Yuvraj can express himself freely’

But no longed let it be said so. Though the whitewash came in the shortest form, and half a dozen of their protagonists not in the frame, beating Australia 3-0 at home is no inferior feat. The manner in which they achieved it surely shouldn’t be cast aside as an aberration.

Nothing exemplified this as the lethal approach their batsmen embraced. It’s hard to recollect any overseas pair of batsmen that has unleashed as much fury on their bowlers as Rohit Sharma andVirat Kohli in both formats, man of the series in ODIs and T20s respectively. It was like no matter how you bowl or who your bowlers are, either of them will hurt you, and sometimes both. They might have been beneficiaries of uniformly flat wickets and a set of bowlers who didn’t bother much to stretch the speedo’s limits, but sustaining such consistency and domination throughout the trip is something they can truly be proud of. And this they managed mostly with breathtaking but refined strokes.

PHOTOS: India complete whitewash

They might have lost the ODI series 4-1, but not without putting on respectable batting shows, far better than most other Indian line-ups on these shores. More than mere respectable perhaps, as thrice they surged past 300. Prior to them posting 309 for three in Perth, no other Indian team had crossed 300 before against the hosts in their backyard. In all they racked up a staggering body of 1521 runs and six hundreds (and a brace of 90s). And on most instances, India were in the hunt till perhaps the last three-four overs.

Milestone hunting myth

A major, almost cynical, criticism was that many of the batsmen showed a tendency to slow down when approaching milestones (they are not the first ones to cop with similar criticism), and hence they couldn’t quite accelerate the scoring and lift India’s tally to somewhere in the 340-350 region. But it owed much to their sedate starts than late-over flourish.

Then they reached the crescendo in the T20s. Sharma kept on scoring prolifically, Kohli found a sixth gear. And a change in bowling personnel gave Dhoni the ammo he had sought at the beginning of the tour. Suddenly, the travails of 2015 seem far away.

STATS: Kohli breaks record

But Dhoni, rather than soaking in the honour of being the first Indian skipper to win two series in Australia, sees the bigger picture. “It’s more about how the team is looking rather than looking at it just as a captain. It’s more important to look at the bigger picture. What looks good is Jasprit Bumrah as a player with potential. He’s looking really good and even today (Sunday) he bowled the yorkers well. And I’ve always said that to be successful in the shorter format you have to execute the yorkers. Whether you choose to bowl it or not is up to you, but if you don’t have that option, then definitely at some point of time, you will be under pressure,” he pointed out.

That seasoned hands Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina re-asserted their stakes with timely cameos give India an assurance it had lacked hitherto. And Dhoni aptly summed up their show: “I don’t think so many runs have been scored by batsmen in eight back-to-back matches. It shows they are hungry for runs. They want to score in every match. We emphasise that if you are in good form you have to finish the games off. The first 50 runs are for yourself, the rest are for the team. Yes we lost ODIs 4-1 and won the T20s 3-0, but we know that when we come here the next time not only will we look forward to it as a team, but the spectators will look forward to us too because over the eight matches we have entertained them,” he pointed out.

Focus on T20 WC

The winning feeling has yet to sink in, but the focus will invariably shift to preparing the T20 World Cup. Bowling would still be a slight concern, though the extra fielder outside the 30-yard circle cushioned them in the T20s. “The bowling department was a bit of concern, not the spinners, but the medium pacers. Even in the ODIs, there were lot of instances where at times you feel a bit helpless as to what could be done at that point of time. Because execution is something that is very important. But at the same time, I would like to say that in this T20 format, they get that extra fielder outside and they know that the batsmen are looking to go after them to they can use variations from the start,” Dhoni said.

The bowling, as of now, looks settled and India will have further opportunities to experiment in the three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka, followed by the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. He hinted there could be one or two changes before he chalks down the eleven for the T20 World Cup, but it’s less likely that there would be any radical shifts. And after a long time, they will return home from Down Under ot battered, but with heads held high.

India rest in-form Virat Kohli for three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka

Virat Kohli stole the show in the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Australia. (Source: AP)

India are resting batting mainstay Virat Kohli for the three 20-over matches against Sri Lanka this month with an eye on the Twenty20 World Cup on home soil.

Kohli, the world’s top-ranked Twenty20 batsman, enjoyed a prolific run of form to help India complete a 3-0 series whitewash in Australia on Sunday.

With Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men kicking off their bid for a second Twenty20 World Cup in six weeks, the team have decided to rest Kohli who was top-scorer in the series in Australia.

India recalled Bhuvneshwar Kumar after the paceman sustained a thumb injury in Australia and missed the Twenty20 series.

Left-arm spinner Pawan Negi received his first call-up to the India squad who play Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 International in Pune on Feb. 9.

Ranchi and Visakhapatnam host the other matches.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pawan Negi.

Ind vs Aus : Thriller completes 3-0 whitewash at the SCG, T20I

Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 49 against Australia sealed the win for India in the final T20I in Sydney. (Source:AP)

Shane Watson’s unbeaten hundred could not prevent Australia falling to a seven-wicket defeat to India in the third and final Twenty20 match on Sunday as Suresh Raina hit a four on the last ball to complete a 3-0 clean sweep in the series.

India were chasing 198 to win and needed 17 runs in the final over as Yuvraj Singh hit a four and a six off the first two balls from paceman Andrew Tye and Raina hit the final ball through point with his team needing two.

All-rounder Watson, leading Australia in the absence of the injured Aaron Finch, powered the hosts to 197-5 with an unbeaten 124 after winning the toss and opting to bat.

Australia made five changes to the side that lost the last match in Melbourne to concede an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, handing debuts to batsman Usman Khawaja and part-time wicketkeeper Cameron Bancroft.

Watson, named player of the match, was the fulcrum around which the hosts’ batting revolved and it was due to his 71-ball knock, which was studded with 10 fours and six sixes, that Australia posted a strong total.

India replied with half-centuries from in-form opener Rohit Sharma (52) and Virat Kohli (50), who was named the player of the series, and then Raina’s 25-ball 49 to chase down the steep target.

Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan got India off to a rollicking start, scoring 46 in just 3.2 overs, with fast bowler Shaun Tait going for 24 runs in the third over.

Rohit and Kohli then added 78 for the second wicket to keep India strongly on course, before both batsmen fell to leg spinner Cameron Boyce.

Yuvraj, who did not get an opportunity to bat in the last two matches, was sent in ahead of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoniat number five and though the left-hander struggled initially to put bat on ball, he produced the goods when his team needed.

Raina and Yuvraj added 53 for the unbroken fourth wicket.

The 3-0 sweep in Australia took India to the top of the T20 rankings in a timely boost ahead of the World Twenty20 at home from March 8-April 3.

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Live score: Ind vs Australia T20

Live Cricket Score: India vs Australia, 2nd T20I

Fixtures:( Ind vs Aus)

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Live Cricket Score & Fixtures : Ind vs Aus

Live Cricket Score, Ind vs Aus, 2nd T20I, MCG: India take on Australia on Friday. (Source: AP)

India, after an impressive show in the series opener in Adelaide, would like to wrap the three-match T20I series against Australia when they lock horns with the hosts in second T20I at the MCG on Friday. Catch live cricket score and live cricket updates from the match here.(Fixtures: Ind vs Aus)

Live Cricket Score: India vs Australia, 2nd T20I

Live Cricket Updates India vs Australia, 2nd T20I

1350 hrs IST: Aus XI –  A Finch, S Marsh, C Lynn, G Maxwell, S Watson, M Wade, J Faulkner, J Hastings, S Boland, A Tye, N Lyon

1346 hrs IST: Ind XI – S Dhawan, V Kohli, RG Sharma, MS Dhoni, Y Singh, S Raina, R Jadeja, H Pandya, R Ashwin, J Bumrah, A Nehra

R Ashwin felt he had the skills to come out on top against Australia’s attacking batting line-up. (Source: PTI)

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday said he is not intimidated by the Australian batsmen’s strategy of attacking him as he has the ability to handle the onslaught and pick wickets as well.

“I think it’s been a batsmen’s tournament, so you’ve got to stick to your basics and hope that you put the balls in the right place. When I came back I was pretty confident, I had my plans in place and I also had the extra fielder outside the circle, which was a big advantage,” said Ashwin ahead of the second T20I in Melbourne.

Ashwin felt he had the skills to come out on top when asked about Aaron Finch’s attempted charge against him in the first T20I.

“…if they have a license, I have a license to pick up wickets too. And it’s not like their off-spinner has gone very kindly, he’s gone for 80 runs in all the games, that’s the way the series is.

“It’s not about an off-spinner; I think everybody has gone for runs. You can target a bowler or not, it’s just a game-plan. And if that is their game-plan I’m more than happy for them to continue doing it. I think I have enough abilities to try and come out on top of it,” he explained.

Ashwin returned after a break of three games in Adelaide, and he opened the bowling with Ashish Nehra. Later, he returned to bowl in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja, and helped script India’s win with figures of two for 28.

“I think in the first over I bowled well (in Adelaide), there wasn’t anything wrong with the way I bowled, it’s just that I went for runs. Throughout the ODI series, be it Nathan Lyon or Kane Richardson, they have gone for 70 runs or more than that. So it’s about picking up wickets and having the confidence to bowl the good ball again and again,” he said.

On whether he felt disappointed after he was left out of the playing XI during the ODI series, Ashwin felt it was not an unfair call.

“The reason I didn’t play was because I didn’t win a game for India. If India had won, I would have played, as simple as that…the fact that I went for 70 runs, and then went for 60 runs, I had to sit out, and I think it’s fair enough because you have to play the right combination. As far as I’m concerned I can just work that bit harder and keep going hard at it,” he explained.

India lost the ODI series 1-4. However, they did win the last ODI in Sydney and then the first T20 in Adelaide. With back-to-back wins they have finally managed to put pressure on Australia for the first time in this series.

“We probably haven’t assessed the par scores well enough. In the past, 300 – or even 260 – has been a winning score when we came in 2011-12 for an ODI series here. I thought we did pretty well to post 310-320. I just think the par scores were somewhere in the 330s. And as you saw in the last games, in Canberra and Sydney, I think we would have achieved 350s. And the wickets have obviously gone flatter.

“Even when South Africa came here last time, I think they achieved 310s and 320s pretty easily. So it was just a question of not calculating the par score properly,” said Ashwin looking back at the ODIs.

Asked if the youngsters coming in had made a definitive impact on the squad’s morale, he said: “It’s always fun to have new people coming into the team because you try to get to understand them better. They come out with a lot of confidence, they have no expectations riding on them, they come out and express themselves.

“When new people come in, it’s always interesting to watch how they go about their business. At the same time it’s also very important to allow them to express. I think our dressing room environment is very good, and whoever has come in so far in the series has been able to go on about their business without any pressure.”

The tour has relatively gone without any flare-ups considering the heated exchanges in the bilateral series last season. Although there have been the odd moments, particularly the one in the first match at Adelaide between Virat Kohli and Steve Smith in the wake of the latter’s dismissal.

“It’s probably a personal battle between them. I think both of them are very good competitors. They know what they are doing, and they don’t go down without a fight. It’s good to have such competition on the field. Both of them are champion cricketers, and I think it just adds to the spice of the game a little bit, so I don’t mind it at all.”

Talking about Kohli’s super run of form on this tour, he said: “The way he bats, the amount of confidence he exudes on his fellow players, and the way he comes out and expresses himself, obviously that comes with the amount of performance you give on the field.

“At the end of the day, what confidence you have as an individual is how you express yourself on the field. He is someone who always leads from the front and we don’t expect anything short of that from him too. If he fails, I think he’s still someone who will pick everyone up.”

Ashwin also spoke about getting more comfortable with the conditions as the series went on but added that they had played good cricket despite what the ODIs scoreline says.

“I think now we feel a lot more comfortable coming here. It is great competition, the players come hard at us and we do quite enjoy it. But how many times we come back here, we need to adapt to different situations. We end up playing some cricket in India, go somewhere else and then come to Australia. So it takes a bit of time, and this tour was especially challenging because we landed in Perth, then had to adjust to different time zones going to Brisbane then Melbourne, so it took another week or so for us to completely get over jet lag.

“These are the challenges an international cricketer faces, and coming to Australia has always been very challenging and we enjoy it.

“We have played wonderful cricket. As I said, there has been a miscalculation of 20-30 runs and the margin has been one over, so that tells you what kind of cricket we have played. We have been able to match them at every aspect of the game. It’s very unfair to say how the tour has gone and who has done better, I don’t think that is right,” Ashwin signed off.

Ind vs Aus: Our basic batting was not there in Adelaide, says David Warner

David Warner was out for 17 in first T20I against India. (Source:AP)

Holding the team’s batting failure responsible for the opening T20 loss, Australian batsman David Warner on Wednesday said the hosts need to play smarter cricket against the Indian spinners and take full advantage of the big stadiums Down Under.

Apart from skipper Aaron Finch’s 44, the rest of the Australian batting surrendered meekly against the Indian attack. And Warner, who fell to debutant medium-pacer Jasprit Bumrah (3-23) for 17, wants to learn from his mistakes.
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“During those middle overs a lot of us get carried away trying to play too many big shots and not trying to take advantage of the big fields in Australia. I think in India you can actually get away with trying to hit boundaries cause it’s a bit smaller and with either side of the fielders around the bat, you can actually get a more value for your shots,” Warner told reporters ahead of the second T20 game at the MCG on Friday.

“But definitely your basic batting wasn’t there on Tuesday (in Adelaide) and that’s trying to get twos on the big field.”

Shane Watson (2-24) was the pick of the Australian bowlers in India’s tall score of 188 for three in the first T20 match and Warner welcomed his teammate’s return to the international fold.

“Obviously his form over the last 18 months hasn’t been as good as he would like. He knows that we all know that. We always want him performing to the best of his ability and the one thing I think he’s at strength is his bowling.

“It’s such a great thing to see him work harder than that. In the Big Bash also he scored a lot for his side. Last night (in first T20) I saw glimpses of him actually bringing it back a little bit for us. In the end his addition would be fantastic for us throughout middle overs and we know what he is capable of with the bat,” said Warner.

The southpaw was also all full of praise for Steven Smith’s contribution as a leader (in ODIs and Tests) and as a batsman.

“I think Steve Smith is probably going to bag well and truly. He’s been a fantastic player in the last 24 months,” Warner said about Smith’s chances of bagging back-to-back Allan Border medals.

“The way he’s matured and appeared in time. He feels no pressure out there when scoring runs. He’s got a free mind when he goes out there. It’s a great thing for the team at the moment and he deserves the accolades he gets,” he said.

“I hope one day a bowler can get all this (awards) as they work off their backsides especially in these years, very, very tough for them. They always get my vote on these tough wickets,” Warner added.