RAIPUR: In a series which is turning out to be a nightmare for bowlers in both India and Australia- flat wickets, marauding batsmen and the onset of dew in the night making life hell for them- the visitors' left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff has stood out with his outstanding economy rate: 4.62 in the two T20Is that he has played in so far, at an average of 18.50. How much further ahead Behrendorff has been in coping with these difficult conditions for the bowlers can be gauged by the fact that the next best economy rate of an Aussie bowler in the series is of pacer Nathan Ellis, who is giving 10.41 runs per over!
In the first T20I at Visakhapatnam, when the Indians comfortably hunted down 209, Behrendorff's figures read 4-1-25-1. In the third match of the series at Guwahati, even as India raced away to 222 for three, they found it difficult to go after the left-arm quick, who again finished with an amazing return of 4-1-12-1. Clearly, the New South Wales man is making a serious case to be picked for Australia's T20 World Cup squad next year, after being ignored for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Surely, the motivation to play in that marquee tournament is making Behrendorff strive just that little bit harder.
