India fail the Hazlewood test

Visitors managed to score just 125 after being put in to bat on a spicy MCG pitch. Australia won the match by 4 wickets

- Somshuvra Laha

Australia's Josh Hazlewood (centre) was brilliant against India on Friday, picking 3/13 from his four overs in Melbourne.

(AP)

Abhishek Sharma shone with a 37-ball 68 but couldn't prevent Australia from taking a 1-0 lead with a fourwicket win at the MCG on a cold Friday night.

At a capacity stadium that must have felt like home, India were completely derailed by Hazlewood's Test length bowling on a spicy Melbourne pitch that fetched him 3/13.

India's top order capitulated quickly but Sharma batted for all but one ball of the innings, helping them crawl to 125 all out. A late clutch of wickets from Jasprit Bumrah helped India pull things back a bit but the game was well and truly over by then, thanks to Marsh's 26-ball 46 after opener Travis Head had set the tone of the chase with 28 off 15. Australia won in 13.2 overs, handing India their second biggest T20I defeat in terms of balls to spare.

In the bigger context of preparing for the T20 World Cup at home next February, this defeat shouldn't sting India so much because of the massive difference of conditions in Australia.