A Series Of Gains As Team India Seeks T20 Blueprint

Shreyas, Chahar and Dube underline the quality of talent available for the Men in Blue

- Shreedutta Chidananda

India finished the series on a high, saving its most resilient performance for the third and final T20.

The most gratifying aspect of Sunday's win was that its principal architects were two bowlers with only eight previous T20 internationals between them. Deepak Chahar and Shivam Dube belied their inexperience, hauling India out of a trough on an evening when the dew made life difficult for bowlers.

Smart operator

The emergence of Chahar, who was player of the match and series, following his record-breaking spell of six for seven at the VCA Stadium, is a major positive for India.

Used primarily in the PowerPlay by CSK, where he made his name in T20 cricket as a swing bowler, Chahar showed on Sunday that he was a smart, versatile operator. He bowled only one over in the PowerPlay, when he took two wickets, and was brought back at a stage when the ball was wet and India was under the cosh.