IND vs AUS 2022: "There is no particular stage where India went wrong, it was something constant from the word go" - Ajay Jadeja believes the hosts never had any control while defending the total in first T20I

Former cricketer Ajay Jadeja feels India failed to put pressure on Australia at any stage of the run chase in the first T20I at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

Aaron Finch's side notched a memorable victory on Tuesday, September 20, courtesy of a record run-chase to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. They reached the 209-run target set by the hosts with four balls and four wickets to spare.

The visitors scored over 10 runs in 13 out of the 19.2 overs bowled in the second innings. Axar Patel, who may not have played if Ravindra Jadeja was fit, was the sole bowler to put any kind of pressure on Australia. He recorded impressive figures of 3/17 from his four overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded over 50 runs in a T20I fixture for the first time, while Harshal Patel made a forgettable return from injury with an expensive spell. Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya and Umesh Yadav conceded a combined 91 runs in just 7.2 overs between them.

Opining that India's issues were not tied down to a particular stage of the game, Ajay Jadeja said on Cricbuzz:

"Except for Axar Patel, Australia did not have any problem during the run chase. They did not have to even take chances. It's really difficult to figure out where India went wrong."

Jadeja continued:

"Throughout the innings, things went wrong for India. There is no particular stage where India went wrong, it was something constant from the word go."

India's cause was not helped by some sloppy fielding under the lights. Axar Patel and KL Rahul dropped Cameron Green early on in his innings, which made a huge impact.

The all-rounder was handed yet another reprieve as India did not opt for a DRS call after Chahal's delivery struck him on the pads. Green ultimately ended up top-scoring for the Aussies with an excellent 61-run knock from just 30 balls.

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"Matthew Wade just carried on and took all the pressure away from Tim David" - Ajay Jadeja

The game seemed to be hanging in the balance once India managed to claim three quick wickets after the halfway mark of the innings.

With 55 runs required off the last four overs, the onus was on debutant Tim David and the experienced Matthew Wade. While many expected David to deliver some telling blows, it was the veteran wicket-keeper who took the initiative and took the game away from the hosts.

The Singapore-born player played second fiddle as Wade scored an unbeaten 45 off just 21 deliveries to steer Australia to victory.

Stating that Australia consistently surprised India with their tactics and approach, Jadeja said:

"Wade just carried on and took all the pressure away from Tim David. If you ask anyone who watches cricket around the world, they'll say that from that stage, they expect Tim David to take the side through. What you were expecting Australia to do, that's not what they ended up doing."

David ended up with a lukewarm maiden appearance for Australia after scoring 18 runs off 14 deliveries. He was dismissed in the final over as he looked to finish things off in style with the Aussies needing two runs from six balls.

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