Australia used a total of 19 players in their T20I series defeat to India, one that started a mere four days after their World Cup final victory in Ahmedabad.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
While the timing of the series was jarring for those who were so recently involved in a World Cup final in another format, it still represented important preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup against strong opposition, even if India were not at full strength.
Here are our player ratings for the 19 Australia players to take the field across the series:
Matthew Short: 4/10
70 runs @ 17.50; SR: 137.25
A top score of 22 sums up Short’s series, one that never really got going.
Travis Head: 7/10
94 runs @ 31.33; SR: 180.76
Australia’s World Cup hero was familiarly brutal against the new ball. There are few players in the world game as destructive in the opening powerplay.
Steve Smith: 4/10
71 runs @ 35.50; SR: 124.56
Smith played the first two games of the series before returning home ahead of Australia’s upcoming Test series against Pakistan. In a high-scoring series, Smith failed to get going in either outing. His 52 in the series opener was scratchy and at odds with the overall pace of the game.
Josh Philippe: 2/10
12 runs @ 6; SR: 109.09
A quiet series for Philippe who was drafted in for the final two games.
Ben McDermott: 7/10
73 runs @ 36.50; SR: 125.86
McDermott played some extraordinary shots in his half-century in Bangalore. Unfortunately for him, his excellent knock wasn’t enough to take his side over the line.
Josh Inglis: 8/10
122 runs @ 40.66; SR: 203.33
A 47-ball ton in the series opener was Inglis’ most impressive innings in international cricket so far. He was good all around the ground and displayed his considerable potential as a top order T20 player.
Glenn Maxwell: 9/10
116 runs @ 116; SR: 207.14
Zero wickets; ER: 22.66
Maxwell’s match-winning hundred in Guwahati was sublime. He whacked 18 off the final four deliveries of the match to seal a last-ball victory; it was Maxwell at his destructive best.
Matthew Wade: 8/10
128 runs @ 128; SR 166.23
An outstanding series on an individual level for Australia’s stand-in captain, who wasn’t dismissed until the third-last ball of the final T20I.
Marcus Stoinis: 5/10
69 runs @ 34.50; SR: 132.69
One wicket @ 63; ER: 10.50
A mixed series for the hulking all-rounder. His excellent cameo in the second T20I came in vain while in Guwahati, Stoinis got stuck in the middle overs, eventually falling for a 21-ball 17 in a 447-run game.
Tim David: 4/10
92 runs @ 23; SR: 126.02
Not at his explosive best; uncharacteristically slow in the final two games of the series.
Aaron Hardie: 4/10
30 runs @ 10; SR: 96.77
Three wickets @ 35; ER: 9.54
A quiet series for Hardie who failed to make a significant contribution with either discipline, though was hard to get away with the new ball in the fourth T20I.
Sean Abbott: 4/10
One wicket @ 99; ER: 14.48
Even by this series’ standards, Abbott was extremely expensive although he very nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with an excellent final over defending seven in Thiruvananthapuram.
Ben Dwarshius: 7/10
Five wickets @ 14; ER: 8.75
A late addition to the series, Dwarshius dismissed the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav cheaply in both of his appearances.
Nathan Ellis: 6/10
Four wickets @ 41.75; ER: 10.43
Ellis has fairly built a reputation as one of the most consistent death bowlers in the T20 game. He bowled better and was more effective than his raw numbers suggest.
Adam Zampa: 7/10
No wickets; ER: 8.25
Wicketless but comparatively economical in his sole outing of the series.
Tanveer Sangha: 6/10
Five wickets @ 35.80; ER: 8.95
One of the few ever-presents for Australia across the series, this was a valuable learning experience for Adam Zampa’s No. 2 on grounds with unforgivingly short boundaries. The 22-year-old more than held his own.
Chris Green: 5/10
No wickets; ER: 9.00
A long-awaited international debut finally arrived for Green in the penultimate game of the series where he bowled a tidy enough four-over spell without making a breakthrough..
Jason Behrendorff: 8/10
Six wickets @ 17.83; ER: 6.68
Behrendorff boosted his chances of being part of next year’s T20 World Cup squad with an excellent individual series. His 1-12 off four in the third T20I was, in an understated way, extraordinary given the wider match dynamics.
Kane Richardson: 4/10
One wicket @ 34; ER: 11.33
On paper expensive but Richardson was actually marginally more economical than the match average at Guwahati. Injury restricted him to just three overs in the game and subsequently, the series overall.
