By BD Naraayannkar
Bengaluru, Dec 3 (UNI) India defended 160 on a slowish track as they defeated Australia by 6 runs and clinched the series 4-1 T20I series in the fifth match at Chinnaswamy stadium here on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer top-scored for India with a match-winning fifty, and cameos from Jitesh Sharma and Axar Patel helped India post a challenging total after losing 8 wickets.
In reply, Australia got off to a good start scoring 40 runs off the first four overs which forced Suryakumar Yadav to turn to spin. Travis Head, the World Cup final superhero, was behind the run flow as he smashed three successive boundaries to put India bowlers under the pump.
Ravi Bishnoi conceded a maximum of his fourth ball to Head, but the leggie bounced back to scalp his wicket in the very next ball. Head scored 28 off 18 balls.
Thereafter, the scoring rate plunged drastically as the spinners gave away far too less off six overs on the trot.
Australia were 70/3 at half-way mark, but Axar broke the 47 runs partnership in his last over to finish with an extraordinary figures of 4-0-14-1.
Ben McDermott notched up his fifty with a six, but fell to pacer Arshdeep Singh in the same over, caught by Rinku Singh for 54 off 36 balls with 5 sixes.
Mukesh Kumar bowled a magnificent over picking up two wickets in the 17th over, but Captain Mathew Wade (22 off 15) kept hopes alive by tonking Avesh Khan for a hat-trick boundaries in the next over.
Mukesh Kumar bowled a decent penultimate over, and Australia needed 10 off the last six balls. Wade lost his cool as the straight umpire did not call a wide on a ball sailing over his head.
The Aussie captain perished a couple of balls later. Arshdeep who conceded 37 runs off his first 3 overs, gave away just 3 in the final over to wrap the match and the series.
Riding high on Shreyas Iyer’s half-century, India did well to post a challenging 160/8 on a slow track.
Iyer held the innings in the middle overs, and unleashed his attacking shots at the end, along with Axar Patel who notched up a crucial knock.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal looked in a punishing mood, but lost his wicket to Josh Behrendorff. The Mumbaikar top-edged on the pull and Nathan Ellis held on it running to his right from deep square after he made 21 off 15 balls.
Thereafter, a flurry of wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad (19), Captain Suryakumar Yadav (5) and Rinku Singh (6), put India in a spot of bother with India struggling at 55/4 in 9.1 overs.
Jitesh Sharma and Iyer knit a stand of 42 runs for fifth wicket before Axar played a very crucial knock of 31 off 21 balls with 2 boundaries and a six.
Iyer waited for the loose ball to get maximum under his belt and milk good balls around, before he was bowled by Ellish for 53 off 37 balls with five boundaries and 2 sixes.
For Australia, Ben Dwarshuis and Behrendorff were star bowlers who picked two wickets each, while Aaron Hardie, Ellis and Tanveer Sangha bagged a wicket each.
The Aussie pacers could get a good number of wickets as they quickly realised the slowness of the wicket and bowled far too many cutters.
In reply, Australia were 55/3 in 7 overs with Australia needing 106 runs in 78 balls. Batting at the crease were Ben McDermott and Tim David on duck, respectively.
Josh Phillipe walked back to the pavilion after scoring 4, before an inside-edge rattled his timbers off the newly married Mukesh Kumar, and Travis Head was cleaned up by leggie Ravi Bishnoi for 28 off 18, an innings decorated with 4 boundaries and a six.
Bishnoi in his next over had Aaron Hardie caught by Iyer at long-on for 6 off 10 balls.
