Glenn Maxwell stole the show, but Jason Behrendorff’s heroics shouldn’t be forgotten.
Courtesy of Maxwell’s explosive 104* (48), Australia kept its T20 series against India alive with a five-wicket victory in Guwahati on Wednesday morning AEDT, chasing the 223-run target on the final delivery of the match.
Earlier, India posted 3-223 after being sent in to bat at Barsapara Stadium, with opener Ruturaj Gaikwad blasting a career-best 123* (75). It was India’s second-highest score against Australia in men’s T20Is, but the damage could have been considerably worse if not for the disciplined and experienced Behrendorff.
The West Australian seamer conceded 12 runs during an exceptional four-over spell, removing Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for 6 during the Powerplay. The dangerous left-hander charged down the pitch at Behrendorff, attempting a wild slog and edging through to captain Matthew Wade with the gloves.
Australia’s other bowlers conceded 12.88 runs per over across the match, while Behrendorff, who produced 17 dot balls, boasted a Test match-esque economy rate of 3.00.
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The left-armer got the white ball hooping early, beating both edges of the bat throughout the Powerplay. India’s batters treated him with respect in what appeared to be a preconceived plan, fending and blocking towards the covers rather than looking to find the boundary rope.
While India captain Suryakumar Yadav targeted Australia’s other seamers with an assortment of sweeps and laps, he made no attempt to attack Behrendorff.
Returning in the 17th over, Behrendorff abandoned straight-seam deliveries and turned to slower balls, which proved effective. Gaikwad, who was approaching triple figures, couldn’t find the middle of his bat, mistiming every delivery he faced against the 33-year-old.
Behrendorff finished his golden spell with a perfect yorker, which was squeezed away for a single. It comes after he claimed 1-25 during last week’s high-scoring contest in Visakhapatnam, where he was once again the undisputed pick of the Australian bowlers.
“Jason’s been huge for us over the two games that he’s played,” Wade said in the post-match press conference.
“He was massive, and probably the difference in the game in the end with how he managed to bowl.”
Maxwell magic again! – Ton off 47 balls | 03:27
Behrendorff has only played 12 T20Is since his international debut in 2017, with injury and Australian stalwart Mitchell Starc keeping him on the sidelines. While representing the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League, he has taken 107 wickets at 20.13 with an economy rate 6.88, winning four titles with the club.
No pace bowler with at least 25 BBL wickets boasts a lower economy rate than Behrendorff.
With a T20 World Cup campaign less than seven months away, Behrendorff has done his chances of a call-up no harm – but Starc’s inevitable return creates an obvious problem. Starc and Josh Hazlewood have opened the bowling in Australia’s white-ball teams for the best part of a decade, and there almost certainly won’t be room for a third Powerplay bowler in the starting XI.
Barring injury, Behrendorff, who has a similar skillset to Starc, could be tasked with carrying the drinks at next year’s T20 tournament in the West Indies and United States.
However, national selectors have shown that Starc and Hazlewood are not immune to facing the axe; ahead of Australia’s group-stage match against Afghanistan during last year’s T20 World Cup on home soil, Starc was controversially dropped in favour of Kane Richardson.
The fourth T20 between India and Australia gets underway at Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Saturday morning AEDT, with the first ball scheduled for 12.30am.
