The India vs Australia rivalry has entertained the fans across the planet. Be it Tests, ODIs, or T20Is, the cricket universe has always got to witness tough competition between the Men in Blue and the Aussies. While one can say that the heat between the two nations reaches the next level when they don the whites and play red-ball cricket, even the T20Is between India and Australia have been closely contested.
So far, the two nations have clashed 21 times in the game’s shortest format. India leads Australia in the head-to-head as the Men in Blue have emerged victorious in 11 matches. In the last T20I series played between the two sides, the visitors thrashed hosts India 2-0, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s brilliance with the bat.
The Indian bowlers would be keen to ensure that the Aussies do not register their second consecutive T20I series win against India. On the other side, the home team’s bowlers will have the onus of ensuring that they avenge the 3-0 defeat suffered at home in 2016.
In this article, we will look at those five bowlers who have been the most successful in terms of taking wickets in India vs Australia T20I encounters.
Nathan Coulter-Nile – 8 wickets
One of the most underrated Australian pace bowlers, Nathan Coulter-Nile has taken 8 wickets in T20I games against India. The fast-bowling all-rounder was the best bowler in the previous series, with four wickets to his name.
Overall, the Mumbai Indians pace bowler has featured in eight games against the Men In Blue. In those fixtures, he has been successful in eight wickets at an economy rate of 9.12. His best bowling figures are 3/26.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 8 wickets
Another right-arm fast bowler who has taken eight wickets in India vs Australia T20I fixtures is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The Sunrisers Hyderabad star has improved his bowling skills by leaps and bounds in the last few years.
Kumar’s IPL experience has helped him become a top-quality bowler in T20I cricket. Talking about his numbers against Australia, Bhuvneshwar has eight wickets in 7 T20Is, with his economy rate being 6.21. India will surely miss him in the upcoming series.
Ravichandran Ashwin – 10 wickets
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has lost his place in the Indian T20I team. Still, he stands at the third position on this elite list, with ten wickets to his name. The former Chennai Super Kings player had starred for India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2014 fixture against Australia.
Ashwin’s strike rate against Australia is 18.7, which highlights that he takes wickets at regular intervals while playing versus them.
Shane Watson – 10 wickets
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has bid farewell to all forms of the game now. But the cricket fans will never forget his contribution to T20 cricket. Many experts considered him as one of the most complete all-rounders of the modern era.
Watson is one of the two players to score a hundred in India vs Australia T20I matches. Also, he has taken ten wickets in just eight T20I matches, with his best bowling figures being 3/34.
Jasprit Bumrah – 15 wickets
Ahmedabad-based fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah had made his international cricket debut against Australia ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2016. The right-arm quick played a massive role in India’s historic 3-0 T20I series win Down Under that year.
Bumrah is still a vital part of the Men in Blue’s squad. Although he did not have an eventful year in ODI cricket this year, Bumrah is coming off a top class IPL 2020 season. The speedster can be backed to maintain his phenomenal record against the Australian team. In 11 T20Is versus Australia, Jasprit has scalped 15 wickets at a superb bowling average of 20.13.
