ICC World Twenty20, highlights: Spinners, Yuvraj help unbeaten India rout Aussies

Unbeaten India take on out-of-sorts Australia in a Group-2 encounter at Dhaka. Catch all the updates here ( Scorecard | Commentary | Points table | Match Report)

22.10 (IST):  Indian skipper MS Dhoni:'We all know what a player Yuvraj is. We need a player like him. He took his time and then expressed himself. This format ideally suits him. Once you play in for the first 15 balls, then you can express yourself in this format. What was important was that he gave himself time. He batted really well. In the middle overs he was not able to rotate the strike. But with the firepower we have we knew that the set batsman can make it up. Among all the openers in the IPL, Jinks has played well. This was an oportunity to give him a game. Shikhar had a rest. He had time to think about his game. We have some fantastic spinners. We are playing 3 proper spinners. Raina also comes in. There was no dew at all. In the previous games, there was some dew. We need a day off to rest. We may come down for a game of soccer. Going for 15 sprints will be too much on the boys. We have been playing continuously. Soccer is something that the boys enjoy.

22.05 (IST): Australian skipper George Bailey: To a certain degree, we planned to pack our team with batters. We lacked game sense and match awareness in all three innings. None of the batsmen anchored the innings. The pitch did not grip too much. No more than we were prepared for. T20 is not about hit and a giggle. Hopefully, we put a decent show against the hosts and it is something to remember

22.02 (IST):  Ravichandran Ashwin: It was not a bad wicket to bowl on. Credit to the batters. 160 was just par. The way we have been bowling we were confident to defend that. The line I am bowling is not too wide outside off. The first couple of balls in the overs are important. If you are tight, the batsman will try to do something different or slog across the line. We were stretched a great deal today. We were 65-4 at one point. We cannot stretch ourselves further. Yuvi and Dhoni played well. We knew the conditions well. It (the pitch) is not like the one in Chittagong. We hold the aces.

21.55 (IST): Ravichandran Ashwin is the Man of the Match

21.50 (IST): Its all over! Ashwin bags his fourth wicket as Muirhead is the last Australian batsman to fall! Australia have been bowled out for 86, giving India a 73-run victory.

21.44 (IST): RUN OUT! Australia have now lost their eighth wicket as Starc has been run out (Australia 79/8 in 14.3 overs)

21.40 (IST): Brad Haddin (6) is gone now! He is caught by Rahane off Amit Mishra. (Australia 75/7 in 13.2 overs)

21.31 (IST): Australia are imploding here! They're down to 63/6 as Bailey is gone for 8, caught by Kohli off Jadeja.

21.26 (IST): The dangerman Glenn Maxwell is gone now! He has been clean bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin. (Australia 55/5 in 9.1 overs)

21.20 (IST): Another wicket! Australia are crumbling here! David Warner is gone, caught by Rohit Sharma off Ravichandran Ashwin. (Australia 44/4 in 7.4 overs)

21.17 (IST): Maxwell gives Australia the much-needed move on! He smashes two back-to-back sixes off Suresh Raina (Australia 42/3 in 6.5 overs)

21.10 (IST): Shane Watson is gone! Mohit Sharma gets a wicket as Watson has played the ball onto his stumps. There was a bit of confusion whether the ball hit the stumps or it ricocheted off Dhoni's gloves. The third umpire was called into the decision and was given out. (Australia 21/3 in 5.1 overs)

21.05 (IST): Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes! Cameron White is gone for a duck! He balloons one but can't clear Ravindra Jadeja who takes a good, running catch (Australia 19/2 in 4.2 overs)

21.02 (IST): Smart bowling from Ashwin to fox Finch. He started round the stumps and bowled a carrom ball which clearly foxed Finch. The next ball, Finch tried to go after him but it was yet another carrom ball and Finch mis-timed it. (Australia 19/1 in 4 overs)

21.00 (IST): Ravichandran Ashwin strikes! Aaron Finch is gone for six, caught by Virat Kohli. (Australia 13/1 in 3.2 overs)

20.57 (IST): Exceptional over from Bhuvneshwar! MS Dhoni stood up to negate the batsmen's urge to dance down the track and Bhuvneshwar gave away just one run from the over. (Australia 13/0 in 3 overs)

20.50 (IST): Australian openers Aaron Finch and David Warner have started briskly here. Finch began the innings with a four through the covers off Bhuvneshwar. Mohit Sharma, playing his first game of the tournament, bowled the second over and started with a good, tight line. (Australia 12/0 in 2 overs)

20.40 (IST): Yuvraj Singh: I do not really concentrate on what's going outside. I have 4 Man of the Match awards in the last 6 games. In the one day format it (the form) wasn't great, it has been good now in T20. The ball was spinning. The wicket has been slow. It is a decent score. We have to get early wickets to win the game. I am working hard on the bowling as well

20.33 (IST): Yuvraj Singh (60) guides India to a challenging total of 159/7 against Australia. It was 

20.30 (IST): Another wicket! End of Yuvraj Singh's sublime knock of 60 from 43 balls. He is caught by Maxwell at long off, off Watson (India 152/6 in 19.1 overs)

20.25 (IST): OUT! Some respite for Australia as MS Dhoni (24) is bowled by Mitchell Starc. (India 150/5 in 18.2 overs)

20.24 (IST): Here's how Yuvraj has scored his runs today:

20.21 (IST): SIX! That's a fifty for Yuvraj! What a knock from the man who has been under scrutiny in the recent past! He gets to his milestone in 37 balls (India 143/4 in 17.4 overs)

20.14 (IST): SIX! Vintage stuff from Yuvraj here! He hits one big and straight over cover into the stands. Nineteen runs collected from the Starc over (India 131/4 in 17 overs)

20.13 (IST): SIX! A powerful hook shot from Dhoni off Mitchell Starc! The ball sails over the deep fine leg fence and lands among the cameramen. (India 119/4 in 16.2 overs)

20.05 (IST): FOUR! MS Dhoni saw that the mid-off fielder was inside the circle and thwacked a ball from Bollinger to the long off fence for over. (India 110/4 in 15.5 overs)

19.55 (IST): Back-to-back SIXES for Yuvraj Singh! First he slams one over deep square leg and follows it up with one over deep mid-wicket off James Muirhead. (India 89/4 in 13.2 overs)

19.48 (IST):  OUT! Raina (6) has thrown it away now! He comes down the wicket and hits the ball straight down Aaron Finch's throat at long on. (India 66/4 in 11.3 overs)

19.41 (IST): At the halfway stage, India 59/3 in 10 overs. Yuvraj Singh (6) and Suresh Raina (4) in the middle.

19.35 (IST): OUT! Ajinkya Rahane is gone! He has thrown his chance away. He tried to guide the ball down the thirdman but he couldn't get past wicketkeeper Brad Haddin who took a simple catch off Doug Bollinger (India 53/3 in 8.2 overs)

19.31 (IST): Yuvraj Singh has walked out at number four. This game could be a crucial one for him to regain some touch with the bat.

19.25 (IST): OUT! Big wicket for Australia here! Virat Kohli is gone! Leg spinner James Muirhead bags the prized scalp as Kohli came down the track but failed to clear Cameron White at deep extra cover. (India 46/2 in 6.2 overs)

19.23 (IST): Rahane on a roll! He waits till the last minute and pulls a length delivery from Bollinger behind square for four. (India 44/1 in 5 overs)

19.17 (IST): Four for Rahane now! The first of his innings. He charges down the track to Mitchell Starc and plays through his favourite area, through the covers. (India 34/1 in 4.2 overs)

19.15 (IST): There is a familiar positive intent in Kohli's batting approach once again. He makes exceptional use of his strong wrists and flicks a Shane Watson delivery towards the deep mid-wicket fence. Seven runs from this over too. (India 30/1 in 4 overs)

19.08 (IST): Mitchell Starc replaces Brad Hodge in the third over. Kohli gets another boundary, this time off the toe-end of the bat as the ball runs away to the third-man fence. Seven from that over. (India 23/1 in 3 overs)

19.05 (IST): Australia start with spin from both ends as Glenn Maxwell comes on to bowl. Virat Kohli waits and slams a six over deep mid-wicket off the final ball. (India 16/1 in 2 overs)

19.00 (IST): Gone! Rohit Sharma is dismissed in the first over by Brad Hodge. A loose shot from Rohit as the outside edge goes to Muirhead at short third man. (India 6/1 in 0.4 overs)

18.53 (IST): All eyes will be on Ajinkya Rahane today, who will open the innings with Rohit Sharma. It's a good chance for him to stake a claim at the top of the order. However, it is highly unlikely that he will keep Dhawan out of the side in the semis. Rahane has been a successful opener for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and will take heart from his form in that tournament to do well today.

18.35 (IST): India make two changes: Ajinkya Rahane comes in for Shikhar Dhawan and Mohit Sharma replaces Mohammed Shami.

18.30 (IST): Australia win toss, elect to field against India at Mirpur.

18.26 (IST): Pakistan's 50-run win over Bangladesh brings down the curtains on Australia's campaign in the World T20.

17:49 (IST): India are currently the only team not to have lost a match in this tournament. They were also the first team to make it to the semis after defeating hosts Bangladesh on Friday.

 

16:58 (IST): India have already qualified for the semi-finals. The last time they made it to the last four was in the inaugural edition in 2007, a tournament they eventually won.

 

16:43 (IST): India have played their last three games with an unchanged side. It will be interesting to see if they decide to experiment in this match.

 

16:29 (IST): India and Australia have met three times in the World T20 in which Australia have won twice.

 

PREVIEW

On a roll after completing a hat-trick of victories, title contenders India would look to continue with their winning ways in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 tournament when they meet a struggling Australian team in their last group league encounter on Sunday.

Having registered comprehensive wins against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh in three successive matches to qualify for the semi-finals, the confidence of the team is at an all-time high as they face George Bailey's Australia which has not done justice to their immense potential.

With back-to-back defeats against Pakistan and West Indies, the Australian team are all but out of the competition with a faint mathematical possibility that has kept them afloat and interested.

But for that to happen, George Bailey and his team first need to beat India by a comprehensive margin which looks a distant reality considering the current form of the two teams.

While India's campaign has gone from strength to strength with a solid all-round show in all the matches, Australia have struggled to maintain the momentum during the key stages of the game which is all the more important in a short format like the Twenty20.

For India, the key has been their spinners, who have done a tremendous job. While left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has been a bit on the expensive side despite taking wickets, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and leg-spinner Amit Mishra have been pictures of consistency so far in the tournament.

Ashwin should be lauded for the manner in which he has bowled in the Powerplay overs, often seizing the initiative for his team, while Mishra has been fantastic at the back end with his clever variations.

They have been assigned different roles by their captain and both have so far stood tall to the expectations of their leader.

Ashwin has hardly given any runs to the top-order in the Powerplay overs operating from round the wicket to the right-handers, cramping them for room. (Read full preview)