Disappointed with the way I bowled in first T20I, says leggie Swepson

Sydney

The 27-year-old Swepson, who replaced left-arm spinner Ashton Agar after the latter suffered a calf-muscle injury, returned with figures of one for 21 in two overs. He however was guilty of bowling too short as he was hit for a couple of fours and a six.

“Look, I am a bit disappointed I guess, with the way I bowled,” Swepson said at a virtual press conference. He agreed that getting Kohli in his first over was a relief. “I think that my first three balls weren’t great. So, to get the wicket on the fourth ball, especially Virat’s was a bit of a relief,” added Swepson.

The wrist spinner described Kohli as an unreal player and said that getting the breakthrough helped him release the pressure. “I was obviously just so excited to be out there. There was also the pressure of wanting to do really well and performing on the international stage.

“Throw in a couple of nerves as well and I just sort of got tensed a bit when I got my opportunity to bowl. Overall, quite disappointed with the way I bowled, but it is always nice to get a wicket like that,” said Swepson, who had the India captain offering him an easy return catch.

On a different note, he was asked if he sees two leg-spinners playing simultaneously for Australia. “I think that two leg-spinners are fine. You have seen the impact that leg-spinners have in T20 format, basically in all competitions; the Big Bash League, the Indian Premier League and international cricket. The ability to spin the ball both ways puts doubt in the batsman’s mind. That is where I think leg-spinners have the advantage,” he added.