IND vs AUS: T20I Series – Top 5 performers
The five-match T20 international series between India and Australia is done and dusted and it’s the home side India who have thrashed the Aussies by a margin of 4-1. The Men in Blue emerged victorious in the opening two and the last two encounters. Suryakumar Yadav led the team well to an important series victory after the heartbreak of the World Cup final defeat. A few of the players from either side delivered consistent performances throughout these matches as they feature in this article.
Let’s take a look at the top performers from the T20I series between India and Australia:
1.Ruturaj Gaikwad
India youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad ended the series as the highest run-getter. The right-handed opening batter smashed 223 runs at an average of 55.75 and a strike-rate of 159.28. His impact was such that he went ahead with Suryakumar Yadav securing second place in the list with 144 runs. Gaikwad slammed his maiden T20I century with a knock of 123* in the third game. He also hit a half-century (58) in the second match in Thiruvananthapuram.
2.Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav donned the captaincy hat without regular skipper Rohit Sharma. The right-handed player racked up the second-most runs in the series after Gaikwad. Suryakumar amassed 144 runs at an average of 29 and a strike rate 160.00. The explosive batter helped his side chase down a massive target of 209 in the opening fixture as he slammed 80 off just 42. Suryakumar also won the Player of the Match award for his destructive innings.
3.Ravi Bishnoi
Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi won the Player of the Series award as he picked up the most wickets in the series. The 23-year-old youngster snared nine scalps at an average of 18.22 and a strike rate of 13.33. Bishnoi bowled with an economy rate of 8.20 and with the best bowling performance of 3/32. After leaking 54 runs in the opening fixture, the spinner bounced back with solid figures of 3/32, 2/32, 1/17, and 2/29. His tight bowling kept the Aussies under control in the last four matches.
4.Axar Patel
India spinner Axar Patel picked up the joint-second most wickets in the series. The 29-year-old slow left-arm orthodox bowler grabbed six wickets at an average of 20.66 and a strike rate of 20.00. He bowled economically at just 6.20 with the best figures of 3/16. Notably, Axar won the Player of the Match award in the last two T20Is in Raipur and Bangalore where he delivered figures of 3/16 and 1/14 respectively. He also hit 31 off just 21 with two fours and a maximum in the final game.
5.Matthew Wade
Captain Matthew Wade was Australia’s leading run-scorer in the series. The left-handed player mustered 128 runs at an average of 128.00 and a strike rate of 166.23. The 35-year-old veteran got starts in all four innings that he batted with scores of 42*, 28*, 36* and 22. Wade tried hard to get his side over the line but the target proved too much for his side in a few games. Despite batting lower down the order, the experienced campaigner ended up with the most runs for his side.
