Kohli replaces Finch as No. 1 batsman in T20 Internationals

Australia captain Aaron Finch on Monday predicted he would be fit for next month s ICC World Twenty20 competition, after officials said a hamstring injury would not require surgery. Dhoni also indicated that India will retain more or less the same squad for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 to be held at home.

The visiting side made a flying start by scoring 33 runs from 4.4 overs for the first wicket between Vanitha and captain Mithali Raj (12). However, skipper MS Dhoni was also looking to bat first.

What have India learnt about themselves in Australia that they didn’t already know, though? Watson was batting on 56 and on the second ball of the 13th over, he mishit a wide ball from Hardik Pandya towards Kohli, who dropped the catch at deep cover.

Kohli was the leading run-scorer with 199 runs during his side’s series win that eventually allowed India to replace the West Indies as the top-ranked T20I side in the latest ICC T20I Championship table.

The left-hander took his time to get going, but with 34 runs needed off the last three overs, Raina got into the act and made sure that India never lost touch with the asking rate as the finished the match with a flourish.

Cricket: India chased down Australia’s target of 198, highlighted by a final over where the visitors successfully chased 17 from the final over.

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. Watson outscored Travis Head, the innings’ next highest scorer, by a whopping 98 runs. “We are looking at these four games rather than two series separately because we will feel much better about ourselves, if we do well from here on”. The second Aussie wicket fell in the 8th over with the score on 69 when Marsh (9, 12b, 1×4) was bowled by Ashwin. “Just because we played so well earlier but didn’t get on the board”, he said Kohli said he was disappointed not to finish off the game but lauded comeback men Suresh Raina (49) and Yuvraj Singh (15) for keeping a cool head till the end. The duo had come together after an opening stand of 46 in just 3.2 overs, and built on that perfectly, finding the fence with regularity and running the singles – and more importantly the twos too.