India defeat Australia by 6 runs, win series 4-1

India finished their 20 overs with a score of 160-8. Shreyas Iyer batted first, getting 53 runs off 37 balls, and was supported by Jitesh Sharma (24) and Axar Patel (31). Bowlers from Australia, notably Behrendorff, Dwarshuis, and Nathan Ellis, took wickets at regular intervals.

Australia responded by falling 6 runs short, managing 154-8 in 20 overs. Ben McDermott led the way with 54 runs off 36 balls, but the Indian bowlers kept the pressure on, headed by Mukesh Kumar (3 wickets) and Arshdeep Singh (2 wickets). Despite Matthew Wade’s 22 runs, India’s bowling performance limited Australia. The tight periods of Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar were critical to India’s triumph.

Jaiswal fell for 21(15) by Jason Behrendorff, while Gaikwad was beaten for 10(12) by Ben Dwarshuis. Dwarshuis then dismissed Suryakumar Yadav in the following over, eliminating the Indian captain for 5(7). Australia made more inroads when Tanveer Sangha dismissed Rinku Singh for 6(8), reducing India to 55/4 in 9.1 overs.

Mukesh dismissed Phillipe for a run-a-ball four, while Bishnoi dismissed Head for 28(18). Australia, which was chasing 161, had amassed 50/2 at the end of the powerplay. In his following over, Bishnoi struck out Aaron Hardie for 6(10). Tim David and Ben McDermott then put on 47 for the fourth wicket before Axar broke the partnership. He took David out for run a ball 17.

McDermott, on the other hand, reached 50 before succumbing to Arshdeep Singh for 54(36). Mukesh Kumar next dismissed Matthew Short (16 off 11) and Ben Dwarshuis (0) in quick succession. Matthew Wade kept Australia in the game until he was bowled by Arshdeep Singh in the final over for 22(15).

Australia’s chances of scoring a consolation win were dashed by this victory. The series was won by India 4-1.

Suryakumar Yadav, Indian captain: “Yeah, it was a good series from day one. Absolutely, we wanted to be fearless and enjoy ourselves when we were in the middle. So, very happy with that. I’ve seen many a game at Chinnaswamy, 160-175 can be a tricky total here.”

Matthew Wade, Australian captain: “Yeah, I thought we bowled relatively well and kept them down to a total that should’ve been chased down. Pretty disappointing. There’s always a temptation, it was spoken about but looking forward to the World Cup. My job is to get us home in situations like tonight. It would’ve been nice to get the result, but we learn and I thought Ben McDermott bounced back, Behrendorff, Dwarshuis, Sangha made an impact in tough conditions.”

Bishnoi, Player of the Series: “The first match wasn’t that great so I just wanted to execute my plans, which I did in the other games. My plan is simple – bowling stump to stump works, just short of length works, pitching it up can be hit. I wanted to be a typical legspinner by bringing the long-on up. South Africa will throw different pitches so but I’ll try to attack there too.”