Washout in Melbourne a 'big setback' for India, says Sourav Ganguly
The second T20 international between India and Australia was a washout after the second innings was abandoned because of persistent rain in Melbourne, undoing the visitors' good work with the ball and denying them an opportunity to level the three-match series.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said it was a 'big setback' for India as he felt that the visitors were in a position to win the match and draw level in the series.
"It's a big setback for India as they could have won the match," Ganguly told IndiaTV during 'Cricket Ki Baat' show.
"India were in a good position to win the match but we can't do anything about the weather. We don't have any control over the rain," he added.
India were naturally disappointed at not getting a go at the target which was revised thrice due to rain. Australia had scored 137/7 in 19 overs when the first spell of rain arrived at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
India's target was initially revised to 137 runs in 19 overs before more rain made it 90 runs from 11 overs and then 46 from five overs. Nearly 90 minutes were lost due to the fickle weather before the game was eventually called off at 10.02 pm local time.
Rain playing hide and seek was not just frustrating for the players but also for the 60,000 plus crowd gathered at the iconic venue.
With the match not producing a result, India now can only level the series in the final game in Sydney on Friday. Virat Kohli and his team had come into the T20 series after winning six bilateral contests in a row.
Meanwhile, Ganguly was impressed with the performance of Indian bowlers on Friday, following the disappointment of the first T20I at the Gabba on Wednesday.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-20) and Khaleel Ahmed (2-39) shared four wickets to rock the Australian top-order and reduce them to 41-4 at one stage.
"Indian bowlers performed well today. Khaleel bowled well too. So, I think it was sad for India that the match got washed out.
"It's very important to get early wickets, it changes the mindset of the team. If the Indian fielders could have held on to some of the catches, it would have built more pressure on the Aussies. However, I feel that India assessed the conditions well in Melbourne," Ganguly said.
However, Ganguly was critical of India's dropped chances and said that the visitors need to improve their slip catching if they were to perform well in the upcoming four-match Test series.
"There's a simple saying in cricket that 'catches win matches'. Slip catching is very important in Australia, England and South Africa. Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah dropped catches which they should have caught. India need to improve their slip catching if they want to perform well in the Test series," he said.
Australia are leading the series 1-0 and last game will be played in Sydney on Sunday.
