The Chinnaswamy crowd was given a thriller on Sunday as India defeated Australia by 6 runs and clinched the series 4-1. The Pitch was different from what we are used to seeing in Bengaluru. But it was a wicket that could be similar to the ones we might be playing at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Batting first India managed to get 160 with Shreyas playing a gritty knock of 53. Chasing a modest target Australian batters couldn’t find answers against the Indian Spinners eventually falling short of the target by 6 runs.
Shreyas Iyer’s 50 and crucial contributions from Jitesh and Axar
Australian Captain Matthew Wade won the toss for the 4th consecutive time and opted to field like he did in the previous games. The wicket was more on the drier side and looked better for the spin bowlers. The Indian team didn’t any major changes in the last game as Sundar and Dube ended the series without getting a game. The Indian openers looked in good touch and played some good-looking shots, but both of them got out trying to go big.
Captain Surya and Rinku didn’t find it easy to get going as they fell cheaply, and Team India were reeling at 55-4 inside the first ten. Australian bowlers looked all money not allowing the batsmen to go big. Tanveer Sangha looked at his best, with the surface offering him some assistance and making the most of it.
Jitesh Sharma played well along with the senior partner Iyer to take India towards a decent total on the board, but he got out at a crucial juncture with not even 100 on the board. Axar and Iyer played some big shots towards the end and the latter got an important 50 as India finished with 160 on the board. Each of the Australian bowlers picked at least 1 wicket and didn’t give away many runs.
Spinners and bowling at the death seal the deal for India
Chasing the total, Australia was given a “Head” start again as he looked in great touch but couldn’t capitalize on his start. India introduced spin early and reaped the rewards by getting some crucial breakthroughs. Ben McDermott and Tim David batted sensibly and didn’t let another wicket fall as Australia reached 100 in the 13th over. Both used their muscle and capitalized on the bad balls.
Indian Pacers who were taken apart at the start, came back and bowled well. Mukesh Kumar is looking like a deal at the death for India, he bowled two overs for 12 in the back four and picked up two important wickets. But Australian captain Wade was standing tall and scored few boundaries keeping the Aussies in the hunt. Arshdeep Singh who bowled poorly throughout this series was left with 10 runs to defend in the final over and he did it with some style giving away just 3 runs and picking up a wicket as India won yet another game to end the series 4-1.