New Delhi: It's a memorable day for two Indian youngsters, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, as they made their T20 debut on Tuesday against Australia in the first match of the series.
In fact, it's a first international outing for the all-rounder Pandya, who got his Indian cap from skipper MS Dhoni, just ahead of the toss.
Bumrah started off with a bang, when he was introduced into the attack in the fourth over of Australia's innings, who were chasing a tricky total of 188.
In his first over he put the Australian openers under pressure with his impeccable line and length. He conceded mere three runs in the over to put some breaks on the scoring as well.
In the first ball of his 2nd over he picked up the wicket of in-form David Warner to give Indian their first breakthrough of the match. And when he was called back into the attack for his second spell in the 17th over, he purchased another crucial wicket of James Faulkner. He then picked the final wicket of Cameron Boyce to finish off the match with an impressive figures of 3.3-23-3. The 22-year-old, also remained the pick among the bowlers in the match.
On the other end, Pandya, who didn't get a chance to bat in Tuesday's match, started his bowling spell on a forgettable note. The 22-year-old, bowled five wide deliveries in his opening over and leaked 19 runs.
However, Pandya managed to hold his compose when he returned in the 15th over as he picked his maiden international wicket of the last ball, in the form of Chris Lynn. In his 3rd over, he gave Australia another blow off the first ball by picking the dangerous wicket of Mathew Wade, with the help of a slower one. Though he missed his hat-trick the way Pandya made a comeback in the match after a horrific first over, speaks volumes about the all-rounder.
After the match the duo were praised by their skipper.
"Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra executed their plans really well. That's one period where we have struggled consistently, so it's good to see them bowl well,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Hardik was also playing this game, because if he also gets going, it gives us the kind of stability we are looking for,” added Dhoni.
