India put up a brilliant all-round show and completed a five-wicket win against Australia. That exciting encounter came in the series decider—the third T20I—in Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. This victory marked India’s 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Australia had won the second T20I, while the first match was abandoned due to rain.
India chose to bat first and scored 167 runs in the allotted 20 overs losing 8 wickets in the process. Shubman Gill proved to be a difference maker, making 46 runs to India’s tally. He got excellent backing from Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube, both of whom played their part to ensure India’s total was as high as possible.
In reply, Australia could never find their feet and were bowled out for a paltry 119. Washington Sundar led India’s bowling charge with a stunning performance. His figures were remarkable, he took three wickets, giving away only three runs in eight balls. The pressure was on as the Australian side, led by captain Mitch Marsh, unsuccessfully chased down a target of 168 runs.
Suryakumar Yadav, captain of the Indian team, highlighted the efficiency of the bowlers in the post-match conference.
“I think the bowlers did really well,” – Suryakumar Yadav
It was the Indian spinners’ efforts that ultimately broke down the Australian batting line-up. Sundar’s remarkable numbers stood out, but other bowlers stepped up at key moments. Yadav further noted,
“I think the combination [of our bowlers] suits us really well and bowling a side out is what we want from them.” – Suryakumar Yadav
Australia’s innings ended with Nathan Ellis taking a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Shivam Dube before Adam Zampa bowled out Abhishek Sharma. Even with these advances, the pressure of the Australian batting order crapping out on big occasions continued. That has become a very costly weakness, simply because they couldn’t handle India’s spin attack.
It was quite a thrilling match to say the least. It began terribly with the first T20I match being no-result due to rain. Australia had won the second ODI match by four wickets, making for an exciting and competitive one-day series. Across those three matches, it was India’s stubborn display in the third that turned the tide back in their favor.
