India make light work of chase for 187 to level series

Washington Sundar smashed an unbeaten 49 from 23 balls to drive India to a five-wicket victory over Australia in the third Twenty20 in Hobart on Sunday, tying up the five-match series at 1-1 with two games to play.

Tim David earlier bludgeoned a spectacular 38-ball 74 and Marcus Stoinis chipped in with a 64 as Australia posted 186-6 in their 20 overs - and it was always going to require a disciplined bowling effort to deny India’s batsmen.

Nathan Ellis bowled well for his three for 36 but Josh Hazlewood was sorely missed after he left the squad to prepare for the Ashes in the wake of his Man of the Match performance in the Melbourne victory on Friday.

Hometown seamer Ellis removed Abhishek Sharma (25) and Axar Patel (17) with bouncers and also trapped the other opener, Shubman Gill, in front for 15 but India never really looked under any pressure in the chase.

Sundar hit the first of his four sixes from the second ball he faced and enjoyed a stand of 35 with Tilak Varma (29) for the fifth wicket before Jitesh Sharma (22 not out) helped him to get India across the line in a partnership of 34.

India, who had the rare experience of winning the toss and chose to bowl first, made three changes to their team from their loss in Melbourne on Friday including a return for Sundar and Arshdeep Singh.

Left-arm seamer Arshdeep made an immediate impact by dismissing Travis Head with the fourth ball of the match and Josh Inglis in his second over to put Australia firmly on the back foot.

David quickly put the hosts back in the ascendant with an astonishing barrage of boundaries to bring up his ninth half-century off 23 balls.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy hit back for India by removing Mitch Marsh and Mitchell Owen but David continued to play his shots as Stoinis joined the party.

David had pummelled eight fours and fives sixes when his luck finally ran out and a catch on the boundary from Tilak ended his innings and reduced Australia to 118-5.

Stoinis did not quite match the muscular power of David but put on 64 for the sixth wicket with Matthew Short (26 not out) before holing out at long-on in the final over to give Arshdeep (3-35) his third wicket.

The fourth T20 takes place on Thursday on the Gold Coast.

Reuters

Arshdeep wins the match award for his three wickets.

“There’s always a chance when someone is coming after you,” he says.

Home skipper Marsh says Australia were 20 runs short.

“Bumrah and Arshdeep are a fire and ice combination,” says India’s captain Suryakumar.

That’s pretty comprehensive in the end. Washington removed any doubt for India with a sublime finishing innings.

Australia lost a lot with Hazlewood, and his replacement Abbott had a particularly poor night with the ball - a night that cannot have helped his chances of making the Ashes squad as a backup quick.

The rest of the series will be tricky for Australia as more and more attention turns towards the Ashes. Travis Head is another player likely to need to drop out and focus on red ball preparation after looking short of his best.

Owen has had a bit of a mixed night in the field and here he misjudges a Dube chance running back from mid-off.

That was surely Australia’s last hope gone, and next ball Washington underlines the point by punching four down the ground.

Just five runs needed with two overs left.

Wicket!

There’s still faint hope for Australia.

Tilak tries to scoop Batlett but can’t clear Inglis.

Marsh puts in a slip to try for another wicket but Dube punches his first ball to the cover rope. Thirty-five runs needed from the last five overs.

Kuhnemann concedes seven from his third over.

Abbott comes back on after costing 31 from his first two overs. After three singles, Washington clumps a short ball over cover to the boundary, then swivels another for six to square leg.

Last ball of the over disappears for an even bigger six. Hazlewood out, Abbott in has made a big difference to this game - he’s gone for 50 from three overs.

Marsh thinks an off spinner is better for two left-handers than Kuhnemann, an accomplished Test bowler.

Short starts with three wides and last ball of the over he is slogged away for six by Tilak with minimal trouble. A penny for Kuhnemann’s thoughts after that over.

Bartlett comes back and Axar gets four more to square leg despite Owen’s best efforts. India have taken control of this game in the past few balls. Twenty-three from the past two overs.

Wicket!

Stoinis finds an excellent slower ball for Suryakumar, which holds in the pitch and draws a miscue to cover. Stoinis is happy with that deception and rightly so - Ellis had just been called into a catching position at cover.

The over finishes a bit untidily as Stoinis bowls two deliveries down the leg side to Tilak and concedes five runs from a couple of glances.