Cricket News

4th India-Austrlia T20 turns out to be a costly affair for State Association

At one point, the game was under the scanner and could have been called off.

Dec 2, 2023 12:44 pm

India beat Australia by 20 runs in the 4th T20 of the 5-match series to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series with a game still to be played. Earlier, India had won the first two games before Australia won the 3rd encounter and made a comeback in the series.

Australia won the toss and decided to bowl first on a firm wicket with a decent grass covering. India started off strongly, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad putting on a solid fifty-run partnership. However, Australia staged a remarkable comeback, claiming wickets in succession to disrupt India’s momentum. Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma recued the team with their explosive knocks, propelling the team to a respectable total of 174. For the Aussies, Ben Dwarshius was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets, while Jason Behrendorff and Tanveer Sangha chipped in with two each.

Australia, during their chase of 175, got off to a good start but regular fall of wickets pegged them back. Travis Head scored 31, while Matthew Wade remained unbeaten on 36. However, the lack of support from the middle order meant that Australia could only manage 154/7 in their 20 overs, falling short by 20 runs. Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi were the chief destroyers for India, sharing four wickets between them. Patel returned figures of 3-16 while Bishnoi picked up 1 wicket for the cost of just 16 runs.

4th T20I turns out to be a financial burden

The 4th T20I between India and Australia was a costly affair for the Indian Cricket Board and the Chhattisgarh Association, as it reportedly required an investment of 1.4 crore rupees. This was due to the fact that the stadium’s electricity had been cut off five years ago due to unpaid dues amounting to 3.1 crore rupees. As a result, the match had to be played using generators and power backups.

Despite the initial challenges and scrutiny surrounding the 4th T20I between India and Australia, the state association’s timely arrangements ensured the smooth conduct of the match.