In the 2nd T20I between India and Australia, we saw an exceptional win from team India. When everything in the game felt it won’t work in our favor, it was our own finisher Hardik Pandya who made it happen! India won the toss and chose to bowl first. At a time it felt like the game is going towards Australia’s side as the new captain Wade started off really well and scored 58 runs in 32balls. After he lost his wicket, India got back to its swing as they picked up quick wickets and restricted them to 194-5 after 20 overs. The key bowlers for India were T. Natrajan (4-0-20-2)and Shardul Thakur (4-0-39-1).
In the second innings, India seemed a bit more steady than the previous games with their batting as the opening partnership was more than 50 runs. Kl Rahul lost his wicket early on but we saw our opening batsman Shikar Dhawan play a beautiful knock of 52 runs. We saw Captain Kohli play some classic shots in his knock of 40 runs. It was not over yet, we were yet to witness a finisher in action. The last few overs seemed difficult for the fans but Hardik Pandya (42*) and Shreyas Iyer (12*) had different plans. With 12 needed in 5 balls, we saw two magnificent sixes from Hardik Pandya to end the match with a win and seal the series win too.
India won the series 2-0. Australia has one game to take the series 2-1 and India has a game to wrap the series 3-0 and write it again in history.
Match Insights
We often get into situations when things seem difficult to get through and we have no option but to face it. In such cases, an individual feels anxious which is a normal feeling under these situations. It is important to train your mind and believe in yourself. It may go either way but it is important to try. The moment you believe and give it a try, you are doing something out of your comfort zone, and with time and experience, you will be able to perform under pressure situations and believe in yourself that you will pull it off. It is not a day’s work but if you start now, years later, it will be a part of your daily routine.
To do so, one must first be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness helps you in knowing the areas that need to be worked on and the areas that need the practice to master. Once an individual is aware of themselves, they tend to believe more positively in themselves and their ability to perform under any situation. They think from an optimistic perspective and are accepting of failure as a lesson to learn from. They understand the challenges of the situation and try to find a way to cope with it. With time and experience and your individual understanding, you too can find your coping skill which is healthy, and perform better even under pressure situations.
To summarize what I have been talking about, I would like to quote what Hardik Pandya said in the post match interview:
“I have been in these situations many times and I learned from my mistakes in the past. My game is always around the confidence which I carry, it has that fine line where I back myself and not become overconfident.”
Urvi Shah
Author, Beyond the Matches