Bumrah’s perfect yorkers
The man who contributed significantly in pulling Australia back was Jasprit Bumrah. The pacer with an awkward action, landed perfect yorkers, something his bowling colleagues were unable to deliver in the previous four matches. In a match where 661 runs were scored, Bumrah 10-0-40-2 effort was as outstanding as the man of the match Manish Pandey (104 not out).

Coming in for Ajinkya Rahane, the Karnataka batsman showed why he should be given ample of chances to prove himself. His composure, shot selection and running between wickets were exceptional. In a crunch, Steve Smith brought third man up and Pandey executed a fine glide past the ’keeper for four. And who can forget his telling boundary that brought up his century and reduced the deficit to two runs. It was an indication that Pandey had read the bowlers mind, the opposition captain’s mindset and the composure to execute the shot.

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It should not come as a surprise that Pandey was able to orchestrate a chase as he has played that role for his Indian Premier League franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders. During those finishes, he brought out the paddle shot and the lap sweep, but on Saturday it were shots with minimal risk. Perhaps, Dhoni presence made Pandey play the right shots. At the end of the match, Dhoni stated: “On these big grounds, it’s not always about playing the big shot. Even if the asking rate is high, you can bring it down by picking up two’s and I think Manish played that really well.”

The time spent learning the art of chasing with Dhoni should give Pandey enormous confidence. After all, Dhoni still has that sting left in his tail although it is running very low. He emptied the tank early and let the apprentice finish it off but a time will come when Pandey will have to do it on his own. On the evidence of Saturday night, Pandey is more than capable of playing a role at No 5. After four defeats, India finally discovered two vital players — one who can finish an innings with the bat and one with the ball in his hand. It is important to give them a long rope.