Skipper Virat Kohli hit a match-winning 61 to help India win the third T20 International by six wickets and draw the three-match series 1-1.
His sublime 41-ball knock and his 60-run unbeaten stand with Dinesh Karthik (22 not out off 18) gave India the much-needed series-leveling win ahead of the all-important Test series beginning December 6 at Adelaide.
The captain's perfectly executed chase in 19.4 overs came after Shikhar Dhawan (41 off 22 balls) and Rohit Sharma (23 off 16 balls) provided a flying start to the innings. Chasing 165, Dhawan and Sharma put on 50 runs off just 28 balls.
Earlier, Krunal Pandya took career-best figures of 4-36 as Australia were restricted to 164-6 in 20 overs.
Australia won the opening T20 by four runs while the second game was a washout, putting additional pressure on India who came here at the back of winning six T20 series in a row.
Pandya won the man of the match award, while Dhawan picked up the man of the series award.
India captain Virat Kohli lost the toss in the third and final Twenty20I match against Australia and will bowl first at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
India are unchanged, while Aussies have brought in Mitch Starc, for Behrendorff.
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India Innings; Target 165
Over 19.4 || Score 168/4 (Virat Kohli 61; Dinesh Karthik 22)
India won the match to level the series 1-1. Virat Kohli finished off in style, hitting back-to-back fours.
Over 19 || Score 160/4 (Virat Kohli 53; Dinesh Karthik 22)
It's India's control. Need 5 runs from the last over. India added 11 runs from the penultimate over with Dinesh Karthik hitting a four off the third ball. Mitch Starc completed his spell, for figures of 4-0-26-1.
19th Over: 2,1L,4,1,1,2 (Starc)
Andrew Tye to bowl the last over.
Over 18 || Score 149/4 (Virat Kohli 50; Dinesh Karthik 15)
Fifty for Virat Kohli. The skipper and Dinesh Karthik have changed the course of the match and the series. They have added 41 balls in 29 balls. India now need another 16 runs from 12 balls.
Kohli brought up his fifty with a single off the fourth ball of the 18th over. He took 34 balls.
18th over: 2,1,1,1,6,0 (Tye)
17th over: 1,1,6,1,2,2 (Maxwell)
16th over: Wd,0,4,6,0,1,0 (Tye)
15th over: 1,1,1,0,1,0 (Zampa)
Over 14 || Score 109/4 (Virat Kohli 25; Dinesh Karthik 1)
India lost two quick wickets in KL Rahul, caught at long-off off the bowling of Glenn Maxwell and reckless Rishabh Pant for a golden duck, caught behind in Andrew Tye's first over. 17 runs in the last four overs for India for two wickets.
Wicket: Pant c Carey b Tye 0(1); Fall of wicket: 108/3 (12.6 Over)
Wicket: Rahul c Coulter-Nile b Maxwell 14(20); Fall of wicket: 108/4 (13.1 Over)
14th over: W,0,0,0,0,1 (Tye)
13th over: 0,1,2,2,1,W (Maxwell)
India need another 56 runs from 36 balls. In trouble?
Over 12 || Score 102/2 (Virat Kohli 20; KL Rahul 13)
The third-wicket stand between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul is now worth 35 off 31 balls. India need another 63 runs from 48 balls
12th over: 0,0,1,2,3,1 (Zampa)
11th over: 1,1,0,0,0,1 (Maxwell)
10th over: 2,1,2Wd,1,0,1,4 (Zampa)
Over 9 || Score 81/2 (Virat Kohli 6; KL Rahul 8)
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have steadied the innings. But Glenn Maxwell started his spell with a three-run over.
9th over: 0,1,0,1,0,1 (Maxwell)
8th over: 2,1,0,6,1,1 (Coulter-Nile)
Over 7 || Score 67/2 (Virat Kohli 0; KL Rahul 0)
Aussies fought back. Mitch Stard removed Shikhar Dhawan, trapped in front. Then, in the next over, Adam Zampa clean bowled Rohit Sharma. Both the Indian openers gone. Wicket maiden for Zampa.
Wicket: Rohit Sharma b Adam Zampa 23(16); Fall of wicket: 67/2 (6.5 Over)
Wicket: Shikhar Dhawan lbw b Mitch Starc 41(22); 67/1 (5.3 Over)
7th over: 0,0,0,0,W,0 (Zampa)
6th over: 1,4,W,0,0,0 (Starc)
Lokesh Rahul is the new man for India.
Over 5 || Score 62/0 (Rohit Sharma 22; Shikhar Dhawan 27)
Huge overs for India. 20 runs from the fourth over, bowled by Nathan Coulter-Nile. Marcus Stoinis into the attack, and was punished too 22 runs.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan on a six-hitting competition.
5th over: 0 6 1 Wd 6 4 4 (Marcus Stoinis)
4th over: Wd 6 1 0 2 6 4 (Coulter-Nile)
Over 3 || Score 20/0 (Rohit Sharma 15; Shikhar Dhawan 23)
17 runs from the last two overs as Shikhar Dhawan started to warm up. He hits Mitch Starc for a four off the last ball of the third over.
In the previous over, Rohit Sharma hit Nathan Coulter-Nile for a four off the first ball.
3rd over: 1,Wd,2,0,0,0,4 (Starc)
2nd over: 4,1,0,0,0,4 (Coulter-Nile)
Over 1 || Score 3/0 (Rohit Sharma 2; Shikhar Dhawan 1)
Mitch Starc started the proceedings, three runs off the first over. A single off the first ball, a thick edge from Rohit's bat. Two more singles.
The sequence of deliveries: 1,0,1,1,0,0
Opting to bat, Australia posted a competitive 164 for 6 against India in the third and final T20I of the three-match series at the Sydney cricket ground here on Sunday.
D Arcy Short (33) was the top-scorer for Australia, while Krunal Pandya picked up four wickets.
Australia are leading the series 1-0 after winning the opening match. The second T20I was abandoned due to rain.
Australia Innings
Over 20 || Score 164/6 (Marcus Stoinis 25; Nathan Coulter-Nile 13)
In the last four overs, Australia added another 44 runs for the loss of one wicket. Marcus Stonis ended strongly with 25 off 15 balls. 15 runs from the last over.
D'Arcy Short top-scored for the hosts, 33 off 29 balls, while Krunal Pandya led India's attack with a four-wicket haul.
Over 17 || Score 129/4 (Chris Lynn 13; Marcus Stoinis 4)
Krunal Pandya completed a four-wicket haul with the wicket of Alex Carey. Caught at deep mid-wicket by Virat Kohli.
Wicket: Alex Carey c Virat Kohli b Krunal Pandya 27(19); Fall of wicket: 119/5 (15.5 Over)
His figures: figures: 4-0-36-4. In the last four overs, Aussies have scored 39 runs for the loss of two wickets.
Over 14 || Score 98/4 (Alex Carey 14; Chris Lynn 2)
Krunal Pandya struck gold Down Under. Third wicket for him in the match. He removed Glenn Maxwell, who's just warming up, caught at long by Rohit Sharm
Wicket: Glenn Maxwell c Rohit Sharma b Krunal Pandya 13(16); Fall of wicket: 90/4 (13.1 Over)
Eight runs and a wicket from the over. Chris Lynn in the center now.
Over 10 || Score 76/3 (Glenn Maxwell 5; Alex Carey 2)
What an over from Krunal Pandya. Two wickets for three runs, but missed a hat-trick chance. Trapped both D'Arcy Short and Ben McDermot off successive deliveries. Then promoted bat Alex Carey denied him the third wicket to complete a hat-trick.
Wicket: Ben McDermott lbw b Krunal Pandya 0(1); Fall of wicket: 73/3 (9.2 Over)
Wicket: D'Arcy Short lbw b Krunal Pandya 33(29); 73/2 (9.1 Over)
Over 9 || Score 73/1 (D'Arcy Short 33 Glenn Maxwell 4)
In the last four overs, Aussies have scored 31 runs for the loss of one wicket, that of skipper Aaron Finch.
Wicket: Aaron Finch c Krunal Pandya b Kuldeep Yadav 28(23); Fall of wicket: 68/1 (8.3 Over)
New man Glenn Maxwell survived a close LBW shot, thanks to his own review, with the ball missing the leg stump.
Over 5 || Score 41/0 (D'Arcy Short 18; Aaron Finch 19)
In the last two overs, Aussies have added another 20 runs. D'Arcy Short hit Jasprit Bumrah for a four off the first ball of the fourth over, then Finch hit Khaleel Ahmed for two fours in the next over.
Over 3 || Score 21/0 (D Arcy Short 11; Aaron Finch 7)
Eight runs each from the first two overs, bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed, then five from Bhuvi's second over. That's a good start from the Aussies.
