IND vs AUS: 3rd T20I Review – Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav shine in India’s thrilling win
India secured a thrilling win in the third T20I match against Australia to seal the series by 2-1 on Sunday night. Australia put a big 187-run target while batting first after impressive fifties from Cameron Green and Tim David. But Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav smashed match-winning fifties to guide India to a six-wicket win with a just ball remaining.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The in-form all-rounder Cameron Green started with an attacking approach to give Australia an explosive start. Axar Patel dismissed visitor’s captain Aaron Finch in the fourth over to give India their first wicket.
Green smashed 52 runs off 21 balls before getting caught out on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s delivery in the fifth over. India’s spin duo of Axar and Yuzvendra Chahal dominated the middle overs to keep India in control of the match. But Tim David scored his first fifty for Australia and Daniel Sams smashed unbeaten 28 runs off 20 balls to help their team score 186/7 runs in 20 overs.
Sams dismissed KL Rahul on the last delivery of the first over to give Australia a good start. Rohit Sharma then showed some attacking intent but lost his wicket in the fourth over on Pat Cummins’s delivery. The middle order batters Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav dominated the Australian bowlers all over the stadium with some big shots.
Suryakumar smashed the highest 69 runs off 36 balls before getting caught out by Finch on Josh Hazlewood’s delivery in the 14th over. Kohli also scored his record 33rd fifty to help India to inch closer to the target. He smashed a big six to Sams’ first delivery in the last over before getting out on the next delivery. Pandya scored the winning four to guide India to a thrilling six-wicket win with just a ball remaining.
Top Performers of the Match:
Virat Kohli:
The former Indian captain failed to make an impact in the first two matches but returned to form when his team needed him most. He started with an attacking approach but played the accumulator’s role to Suryakumar. He lost his wicket in the last over but secured India’s win with a six when they needed 11 runs off last six balls.
Suryakumar Yadav:
Suryakumar proved again why he is the highest ranked Indian batter in the ICC T20 charts. He smashed 69 runs off just 36 balls with the help of five fours and five sixes and won the player of the match award for his 104-run partnership with Kohli for the third wicket.
What’s next for both the teams?
India next host South Africa for the six-match (three T20Is and three ODIS) white-ball series starting from September 28 in Thiruvananthapuram. Australia host West Indies in two-match T20I series starting on October 1 in Carrara.
