India clinches series 4-1 as Arshdeep Singh’s stellar final over thwarts Matthew Wade’s late onslaught. Despite a strong pursuit by the visitors for a consolation win, Arshdeep’s return to the XI proved decisive in preventing their victory in Bengaluru.
India’s poor start
India struggles early in the innings as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s promising start ends at 21 with a top-edge, and Ruturaj Gaikwad fails to find form. Ben Dwarshuis delivers a crucial blow by dismissing Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian skipper, who couldn’t make an impact despite an early entry.
Disappointment looms as Rinku Singh faces a setback in his T20I journey, departing for just 6 with a mistimed sweep, leaving India in a precarious situation. Shreyas Iyer breaks the shackles with consecutive boundaries, including a six, seizing momentum after Jason Behrendorff’s miscalculation costs his side another six in the following over.
Shreyas-Axar step up
An encouraging partnership halted by Aaron Hardie in his last over, but Axar Patel takes charge alongside Shreyas. Axar contributes a crucial 31 off 21 balls before falling to a knuckleball. Shreyas, on the other end, displays resilience, reaching a hard-fought half-century with consecutive six and four off successive deliveries. India finishes with a competitive total of 160 on the scoreboard.
Bishnoi does it again
India faced a slow start, managing only 9 runs in their initial two overs, while Australia, led by Travis Head’s aggressive batting, raced ahead. Head’s powerful hitting saw him dispatch the first three balls to the fence and added one more in the second over, signaling Australia’s dominance. However, Mukesh Kumar provided a breakthrough by dismissing Josh Phillippe, and Ravi Bishnoi continued his impressive form in the powerplay. Bishnoi managed to castle Head, who had recently hit him for a six, and then struck again with a well-executed googly, slowing down Australia’s progress despite their strong 50-run powerplay.
McDermott threatens
Ben McDermott’s early onslaught, marked by a series of sixes, kept Australia in contention with the required run rate. Displaying a penchant for hitting sixes, McDermott sent one to the roof after just his third delivery. Despite losing wickets, a timely six from Tim David seemed to put Australia back on track, and McDermott’s fourth six further strengthened their position. With the equation reduced to 60 from 42, a fifth six suggested Australia’s strong position, but a thrilling climax ultimately sealed the victory for India.
India gained an edge when Tim David top-edged a pull, resulting in an excellent 1/14 bowling performance from Axar Patel. Despite Ben McDermott’s aggressive fifty, his wicket off Arshdeep Singh brought India back into contention. Mukesh Kumar then made a decisive impact, taking two wickets in one over, stunning Australia and putting India on top again. However, Matthew Wade’s brilliance in the 18th over shifted the momentum, reducing the equation to 11 off 8. Despite the favorable situation for Australia, a twist unfolded in the final over as Arshdeep delivered an exceptional performance. Needing 10 from 6, Wade’s dismissal on the third ball sealed the victory for India.
Match Summary:
India 160/8 (Iyer 53; Dwarshuis 2-30) beat Australia 154/8 (McDermott 54; Mukesh 3-32) by 6 runs.
