Copeland, Wade look at the positives for Australia despite 4-1 T20I series defeat to India

BENGALURU: Despite Australia losing the T20I series to India 4-1, former cricketer Trent Copeland believes there are positives to be taken for the visitors’, like bringing in new talent who performed well during the series in the absence of first-choice players.

The T20I series between India and Australia began just four days after the two teams played in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, which the tourists won. It meant a lot of first-choice players were rested and after the third T20I in Guwahati, six players from the World Cup, barring Travis Head, returned home.

Players like Chris Green, Ben McDermott, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha, Aaron Hardie and Nathan Ellis got game time in the Australian jersey, thus putting themselves in contention for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, to be held in West Indies & USA from June 4-30.

“The one major disappointment for me is that we didn’t see Travis Head being hungover and playing in the first game. This was the chance for guys who don’t play for Australia very often (to get their chance).”

“Chris Green has been on the fringes for a long time, Nathan Ellis is a star of the Big Bash and they got to play regular games in a sequence where they could find their groove. Ben McDermott is also a good example of a guy who has been there and thereabouts but showed a flash of what he is capable of on the international stage,” said Copeland on SEN Radio.

Behrendorff, the left-arm fast-bowler, claimed six wickets in his four appearances in the series at an economy rate of just 6.68. Sangha, the leg-spinner, appeared in all five matches, taking five wickets.

“It was spoken about but looking forward to the World Cup. It would've been nice to get the result (in our favour at Bengaluru), but we learn and I thought Ben McDermott bounced back, Behrendorff, Dwarshuis, Sangha made an impact in tough conditions,” said Wade after the series was over.