IND vs AUS 2022: 3 takeaways from India's loss in the first T20I

Australia bagged a clinical win in their opening T20I against India at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday, September 20. The visitors claimed a four-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The hosts were put in to bat first and delivered a convincing performance with the bat, scoring 208 runs in their innings. KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya led the way with their half-centuries before Australia gunned down the target courtesy of a blitz from Cameron Green and Matthew Wade, at the two ends of the innings respectively.

Rohit Sharma's side won't have much time to iron out the chinks in their armor with only five T20I games remaining before they head to the T20 World Cup in Australia. Unfortunately, India once again find themselves in a situation where they have more questions than answers while heading into a major tournament.

Let's take a look at three takeaways from India's defeat in the first T20I against the world champions.

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#1 India's bowling is a major concern in Jasprit Bumrah's absence

With around a month to go until the T20 World Cup gets underway, India's bowling attack looks all over the place at the moment. While Jasprit Bumrah's absence is definitely a huge blow to the side, the rest of the bowling unit hasn't instilled any sort of confidence with their repeated failures in defending totals.

For all his wicket-taking abilities with the new ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has struggled massively at the death. Returning to the side, Harshal Patel couldn't make much of an impact either as Matthew Wade ran riot to snatch the game away from the hosts in the final few overs.

If the Men in Blue are to be genuine contenders at the T20 World Cup next month, they need to address their bowling department's flaws quickly. Umesh Yadav couldn't create much of an impact on his return also, leaving Rohit Sharma scratching his head over the kind of options he has at his disposal.

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#2 India need to make a decision on Yuzvendra Chahal

It wasn't long ago that Yuzvendra Chahal was deemed to be a sureshot starter for the Indian side in the T20 World Cup of this year. He was the highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2022, seemingly back to his best form as he bagged 27 wickets in the tournament.

However, recent performances from the leg-spinner have left some question marks over his form. In fact, in the 12 games he has played for the national side since the IPL, he has conceded runs at an economy rate of over 8+ on seven occasions.

Due to his current form, it seems like India are back to square one in terms of their spin options. Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to be second to Chahal in the pecking order, while Ravi Bishnoi, who some would argue is the country's best T20 spin bowler, sits in the reserves.

Chahal now has figures of 0/32, 0/18, 1/43, 3/34 ,and 1/42 in his last five T20Is. Fair to say, the side needs their premier leg-spinner to deliver consistent performances if he is to cement his spot for the major tournament next month.

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#3 Axar Patel's performances prove he can fill in for Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is set to miss out on the T20 World Cup due to a knee injury, leaving a major hole to plug for the side. As far as like-for-like replacements go, Axar Patel is right up there with Jadeja in terms of the skillsets the two players offer.

Much like Jadeja, Axar is a southpaw all-rounder who is going to be trusted to take responsibility in certain situations, be it with bat or ball. Like the man he is replacing, Axar can bowl a tight line and length to keep the batsmen honest, as well as contribute handy runs down the order.

He showed his worth as a fifth/sixth bowling option in the first T20I and was among the very few positives for India on the day. Chipping in with figures of 3/17 from his four overs while the rest of the bowlers conceded runs at an economy rate of more than 10, Axar showed that he belongs to this level.

Even with the bat, it was encouraging to see the team management send him up the order to give him the opportunity to have a go as a pinch-hitter. Axar's batting has grown leaps and bounds, evidence of which he showed in a match-winning performance with the bat in the ODI series against West Indies earlier this year.