Smart batting, adapting to conditions key to win: Suryakumar

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav credited his players’ tactical awareness with bat and ball for his team’s 48-run victory over Australia in the fourth T20 here on Thursday.

Axar Patel and Shivam Dube played pivotal roles as India defended a modest total of 168 with a disciplined bowling performance to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

“I feel credit goes to all the batters. The way Shubman and Abhishek started, they knew this was not a 200-220 wicket. They batted very smartly. It was a complete team effort from the batters,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.

Defending a competitive score, the Indian bowlers produced a clinical display, with all of them among the wickets.

“The message is clear. Me and Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) bhai, we are on the same page. There was a little dew but the bowlers adapted quickly,” he added.

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All-rounders Shivam Dube (2/20) and Washington Sundar (3/3) made significant contributions with the ball, sharing five wickets between them.

“Always good to have bowlers give you 2-3 overs. This combination suits us. People chipping in, raising their hands, bailing their side is great,” Suryakumar said.

Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh expressed disappointment at the loss but praised India’s all-round performance.

“I thought 167 was par. It provided us with a few challenges. We failed to go over the line. Fair play to India and they are a world-class team,” Marsh said.

With the Ashes approaching, Australia have had to make several changes, with key players leaving the T20 squad to prepare for the upcoming Test series against England.

“It is great. You ideally want to have a full-strength side at all times but the boys have a big series coming up. We want to give more boys the opportunity. I think it’s great especially in a high-pressure game like this,” Marsh added.

Player of the Match Axar Patel said he focused on assessing the pitch conditions before making his move with the bat and looked to exploit the good length while bowling.

“I batted at No. 7 and had a chance to look at the wicket. There was some unexpected bounce, so I waited for my position and just hit,” said the 31-year-old, who struck an 11-ball 21 to boost India’s total.

On his bowling figures of two for 20, Axar said: “I was thinking what was the batter’s strength. If the batter was looking to hit me down the ground, I was looking to hit the good length.”