On the turning Chinnaswamy pitch, India faced a tough time, losing wickets regularly in the inconsequential match against Australia. Shreyas Iyer’s resilient fifty and Axar’s quick 31 off 21 balls helped India reach a total of 160 in the first innings.
Australia, led by Travis Head, started aggressively, scoring 40 runs in just four overs, putting India in a precarious position. Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Head in the fifth over, offering some hope to the hosts, but Axar Patel changed the game’s momentum in the following over.
During the powerplay’s final ball, Axar bowled an arm-ball to Aaron Hardie, who seemed to have missed it. Hardie gestured towards his bat, suggesting he had made contact, a view seemingly supported by umpire Anantha Padmanabhan.
However, Axar and Jitesh Sharma were convinced that the decision should be reviewed. Despite the pressure, the Indian skipper chose not to challenge the decision and walked away as the powerplay concluded.
— virat Sharma (@viratSharm69964) December 3, 2023
— virat Sharma (@viratSharm69964) December 3, 2023
Later replays revealed a slight nick, indicating that India would have lost a review if they had challenged. Twitter users praised SKY (Shreyas Iyer) for his composed decision-making under intense pressure, acknowledging his cool-headedness in that critical moment.