First defeat for India this calendar year and in 12 T20Is. India were targeting a second series whitewash in Australia but came 12 runs short despite skipper Virat Kohli hitting 85. By the way, India's last defeat was against the West Indies in Trivandrum last December. Catch highlights of AUS vs IND T20I series finale here:
Report | Scorecard | Tour Schedule | News
Result: Australia won by 12 runs; India took series 2-1
Man of the match: Mitchell Swepson
Man of the series: Hardik Pandya
5:44 PMIST: Virat Kohli, India captain said "we are finding ways to come back and give the opposition a scare and the series win is a little asterisk for us to finish the 2020 season on a high." Talking about the return of the crowd, he said: "I feel the crowd was a factor as well, it's always giving you a dimension of motivation. Our crowd pulls us through sometimes, and Australia's too, and we as players feed off the crowd's energy. We need to take the same competitive attitude into the Tests."
5:40 PM IST: Aaron Finch, Australia captain said "it was a great series." Honours shared, indeed. Aussies won the ODIs 2-1, then India fought back to take the T20Is 2-1. Reflecting on the T20I series, he added Australia "just happened to be on the wrong end of the first two."
And the second practice match starts on Friday as the build-up to the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy series continues.
India Innings | Target 187
5:24 PM IST: Well, Shardul Thakur hit the next ball for a six. 17 in 3. Need three sixes. BTW, Deepak Chahar was the new man. Pull shot and almost a six. Thakur is disappointed. Only a two, and a dot. Another dropped catch and it's over. 14 runs from the over. IND - 174/7 (20).
Australia won the match by 12 runs. And with that India's ten-match winning streak came to an end.
5:21 PM IST: Sean Abbott with the last over. Washington Sundar hit the first ball for a four to deep extra cover. 23 need off 5. Then, a reached out to widish delivery and found Andrew Tye waiting. Gone for 7 off 6. IND - 164/7 (19.2). India need another 23 off four balls.
5:18 PM IST: Andrew Tye with the penultimate over. And got the big wicket. Daniel Sams took a diving catch at point to send Virat Kohli and end India's hopes for a series sweep. Kohli made 85 off 61. Shardul Thakur joined Washinton Sundar in the centre. The new man hit the last ball for a six, just to make things interesting. Nine from the over. IND - 160/6 (19). Need another 27 off 6. Possible, but...
5:13 PM IST: Adam Zampa on with his third over. And the wicket. Leading edge and Hardik Pandya (20 off 13) holed out. Catch taken by Aaron Finch. Washington Sundar joined Virat Kohli. The skipper hit the second ball for a four, to long-off. Sublime timing. Stumping missed off the last ball. Seven runs from the over. IND - 151/5 (18). India need another 36 from 12.
5:07 PM IST: Andrew Tye continued. Initially, Hardik Pandya struggled to connect the ball, then hit the fourth for a four to deep extra cover, then chipped the fifth for a six audaciously over long off. A wide, for height. A single to end the over. 13 from the over. IND - 144/4 (17). Need another 43 from 18.
5:03 PM IST: Daniel Sams returned for his second over. A single, then Virat Kohli hit second six in three balls. This one over deep mid-wicket. Then another six, guided over fine leg boundary. A single to rotate the strike. A dot, then Hardik Pandya dismissed the last ball for a six, over sweeper cover. Stand and deliver stuff. 20 runs from the over. IND - 131/4 (16). Need another 56 from 24.
4:58 PM IST: Andrew Tye on with his second over. Very good over. Only two singles. IND - 111/4 (15). Need another 76 runs from 30 balls.
4:54 PM IST: Hardik Pandya joined Virat Kohli in the centre. Sean Abbott returned for his third over. Good start, but a last ball six, hit beautifully by Virat Kohli, made it a nine-run over. IND - 109/4 (14).
34 runs and two wickets in the last five overs.
4:48 PM IST: WICKETS. Two in the over.
Mitchell Swepson continued, and wicket. Sanju Samson caught at long-on by Steve Smith. He made 10 off nine. Shreyas Iyer joined Virat Kohli in the centre, then a lengthy review as Smith once again found himself in the thick of actions. He sensationally pulled a 'six' back for two runs at long-on. Then, Iyer got trapped in front. Looked plump though Kohli has reviewed it. And Rod Tucker was right. IND - 100/4 (13)
4:41 PM IST: Adam Zampa continued. Busy over. Seven runs from the over, and a fifty for Virat Kohli in 41 balls. IND - 94/2 (12).
4:37 PM IST: Mitchell Swepson continued. Three singles and a review for LBW against Sanju Samson, taken at the last moment by Aaron Finch. Bowler seemed to be saying ball drifting down the leg. Yes, indeed. Wasted review. Good over. Five singles. IND - 87/2 (11).
32 runs and a wicket in the last five overs.
4:31 PM IST: Sanju Samson joined Virat Kohli in the centre. Bowling change. Adam Zampa, leg-spinner, on. Seven runs, including a three resulting from overthrow. IND - 82/2 (10).
Aussies were also 82 after ten overs.
4:27 PM IST: Wicket!
Mitchell Swepson continued, and a stunning catch by Daniel Sams off the fifth ball to send Shikhar Dhawan (28 off 21) back. IND - 74/2 (8.5)
4:24 PM IST: Australia, searching for wickets, brought back Glenn Maxwell. Four off the first ball as Shikhar Dhawan found the gap at backward point with his reverse sweep. Four singles and eight from the over. IND - 69/1 (8).
4:20 PM IST: Bowling change. Mitchell Swepson, leg-spinner, on. Six singles. IND - 61/1 (7).
4:17 PM IST: Sean Abbott continued. Virat Kohli hit the first ball for a four, through extra cover. A single, then Shikhar Dhawan hit his first four, a thick edged and to third man boundary. Fifty-run stand between the two in 32 balls. Dhawan then clobbered the sixth for a four. Straight. 15 runs from the over. IND - 55/1 (6).
4:12 PM IST: Double bowling change. Andrew Tye, right-arm pacer, on and another life for Virat Kohli. Half-chance, to be fair. Kohli hit back the first ball it won't stick. India skipper then hit the fourth ball for a four, to third man. Seven runs from the over. IND - 40/1 (5).
4:08 PM IST: Bowling change. Daniel Sams, left-arm pacer, on. Virat Kohli flicked the first ball for a four. Ten runs from the over. IND - 33/1 (4).
4:06 PM IST: Another update on Will Pucovski.
4:03 PM IST: Glenn Maxwell continued, and Steve Smith dropped his bete noire Virat Kohli at deep mid-wicket. Kohli came down the pitch and lofted the second ball, but Steve couldn't hold to it. Easy one. Eight runs from the over. IND - 23/1 (3).
4:01 PM IST: Sean Abbott, right-arm medium, shared the new ball. One busy over. 11 runs from it, including a three off the last ball. IND - 15/1 (2)
3:55 PM IST: WICKET!
And a disastrous start for India. Glenn Maxwell had KL Rahul caught at deep midwicket by Steve Smith for a duck. Virat Kohli joined Shikhar Dhawan. Four singles.
3:50 PM IST: Players are out in the centre for the second half of the match. KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan to open for India. Glenn Maxwell has got the new ball.
3:46 PM IST: Matthew Wade's second consecutive half-century was well-complemented by Glenn Maxwell's blazing strokeplay as Australia posted a competitive 186 for 5. Wade, who has played all his big T20 knocks against India, smashed his way to 80 off 53 balls with the help seven fours and two sixes. Maxwell, who struggled with his timing initially, also got into the act during the last six overs with a 35-ball-54 and a third-wicket stand of 90 runs in 8.4 overs with Wade.
India's bowling heroes were Washington Sundar (2/34 in 4 overs) and Thangarasu Natarajan (1/33 in 4 overs). Natarajan, despite a few boundaries conceded in the final over, was pretty impressive.
Australia Innings | Toss - India
3:31 PM IST: T Natarajan with the last over. A full toss and the wicket of reverse-sweeping Glenn Maxwell (54 off 36), bowled. D'Arcy Short joined Moises Henriques. The new man hit the third ball for a four, to sweeper cover. And run off the fourth ball. Good throw from Virat Kohli to KL Rahul. Short made seven off three. Four off the fifth ball as new man Daniel Sams found the gap at long off. 11 runs from the over. AUS - 186/5. Natarajan's figures: 1/33. 47 runs and three wickets in the last five overs.
3:25 PM IST: New man Moises Henriques started with a four, to sweeper cover as Washington Sundar made a mess. Glenn Maxwell got a life, dropped at short third man. Seven runs from the over. AUS - 175/3 (19).
3:22 PM IST: WICKET!
Shardul Thakur with his last over. A leading-edge to third man as Glenn Maxwell took a single. Wicket. LBW. And Matthew Wade quickly reviewed it. No bat involved, and hitting wickets. Out. Wade made 80 off 52, with seven fours and two sixes. AUS - 169/3 (18.2).
3:19 PM IST: T Natarajan on with his penultimate over. Matthew Wade took a three off the first ball, then the left-arm seamer kept Glenn Maxwell quiet. A wide after three balls, then a single. Maxwell hit the fifth ball for a four to deep mid-wicket, and fifty in 31 balls. A single to end the 11-over. AUS - 168/2 (18).
3:13 PM IST: Shardul Thakur on with his third. A dot to Glenn Maxwell, missing his reverse sweep. Virat Kohli took a review at the last moment for a caught behind. KL Rahul and bowler convinced. Nothing. Matthew Wade took a single off the fourth, and Maxwell changed his bat. A slice, and Deepak Chahar dropped him at backward point. Maxwell hit the next for a six to deep square leg. 12 from the over. AUS - 157/2 (17).
3:07 PM IST: Deepak Chahar on with his last over. He's lucky not to give away a free hit after bowling a beamer to Matthew Wade. Six runs from the over. Chahar's figures: 0/34. AUS - 145/2 (16).
3:03 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal on with his last over. Glenn Maxwell hit the third ball for a six, over the bowler's head. A wide, then another six off the fifth, to over deep square leg. KL Rahul appealed for a caught behind. Chahal quiet. Reviewed. Nothing happened. Ball only clipped the pads. 15 runs from the over. Chahal's figures: 0/41. AUS - 139/2 (15).
Matthew Wade and Maxwell have added 60 runs in 33. And 57 of those came in the last five overs.
2:57 PM IST: Shardul Thakur continued. A single, then Sanju Samson pulled off a stunning feat of fielding, restricting a certain six to a double at long-on. It's like converting a double to a six for India. Maxwell is not happy. A dot, then a single. Matthew Wade hit the fifth for a six, over long-on. 10 runs from the over. AUS - 124/2 (14).
2:52 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal returned for his third over. And Glenn Maxwell show on. A wide, then two singles. Maxwell hit the third for a four, a reverse sweep. Another reverse sweep, for three as he failed to time it. A single, then the WICKET. Massive wicket. Caught behind. Last ball of the over, and a skier. And it turned out to be a no-ball. Errant front foot. Last thing you want against Maxwell. It was 11 runs and a wicket, but ended up 13 for none. AUS - 114/2 (13).
2:46 PM IST: Bowling change. Shardul Thakur on with his right-arm pace. And what a welcome from Matthew Wade. A massive six over mid-wicket. A four off the fifth as Glenn Maxwell got his first by flicking over short fine. 14 runs from the over. AUS - 101/2 (12).
2:41 PM IST: Here's more on tonight's big UCL match: Legends collide again
2:39 PM IST: T Natarajan returned for his second. A massive shout, and a belated review for LBW against Matthew Wade (50 off 34), who just his another fifty against India. Very tight. Hitting the leg. A bit of deliberation in the middle as the TV umpire announced that Kohli was late. Kohli is pissed. Still a very fine over. Five from it. AUS - 87/2 (11).
2:33 PM IST: Glenn Maxwell joined Matthew Wade. Nine runs from that over, including a four off the second ball. The over started with a half-chance against Steve, who came down the pitch. KL Rahul missed it.
2:30 PM IST: WICKET!
Washington Sundar, on with his last over, got the bid wicket of Steve Smith (24 off 23). Caught behind. AUS - 79/2 (9.4).
2:27 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal on with his second over. Three singles, a dot, then two more singles. Brilliant over. AUS - 73/1 (9).
45 runs in the last five overs.
2:23 PM IST: Washington Sundar returned for his penultimate over. Three singles, and Matthew Wade pulled the fourth for a four. Two singles to end the nine-run over. AUS - 68/1 (8).
Wade and Steve Smith have added 54 in 38 balls as Aussies take control.
2:19 PM IST: Powerplay done and dusted. Double bowling change. Yuzvendra Chahal on with his leg-spin. Busy one. Eight runs from it, two doubles and four singles. AUS - 59/1 (7).
2:14 PM IST: Bowling change. T Natarajan on. Busy over. Six runs from it, including a three off the fifth ball. Virat Kohli chased it down to deep. Nicely timed shot from Steve Smith. AUS - 51/1 (6).
2:09 PM IST: Deepak Chahar on with his third over. Mathew Wade hit the first two balls for fours, through mid-wicket and covers. Then, a wide. And two quick singles. Virat Kohli changing the field. Long chase for Washington Sundar to fine leg, three runs. Another chase, this time by Kohli, three runs. 17 runs from the over. AUS - 45/1 (5).
2:02 PM IST: Washington Sundar continued. Five wides to start with. Poor work from KL Rahul, the wiketkeeper. Matthew Wade followed it up with a four, behind square. 12 runs from the over. AUS - 28/1 (4).
1:57 PM IST: Deepak Chahar continued. Brilliant over. Ball talking. Two singles. AUS - 16/1 (3)
1:55 PM IST: Wriddhiman Saha gets half-century before Test series opener. READ 1st practice match report.
1:53 PM IST: WICKET! Washington Sundar struck early. Matthew Wade hit the first ball, then Aaron Finch tried to loft one over mid-off. Failed, and catch for Hardik Pandya. Our for a duck. Steve Smith joined Wade in the centre. Five runs and a wicket from the over. AUS -14/1 (2).
1:48 PM IST: Hint of swing, and a couple of very good deliveries. But Matthew Wade got lucky to get a four, over first slip. A dot, then the left-hander pulls the fifth for a four. Nine runs from the over.
1:43 PM IST: New ball with Deepak Chahar.
1:40 PMIST: Players are out. Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade to open for Australia.
1:34 PM IST: And here's everything you need to know about tonight's UEFA Champions League clash between Barcelona and Juventus, featuring the GOATs -- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
1:26 PM IST: Here's what the captains said -
Virat Kohli, India: "We had a good game last time and for the bowling line-up as well we wanted to be more professional and test ourselves. It's been a really good year for us in terms of T20 cricket, if we keep staying ahead of the opposition, and as a group we want to make sure we keep getting those results and win games of cricket."
Aaron Finch, Australia: "Would have bowled first as well. It's a used wicket and hopefully we'll bat well tonight. Expect the spinners to play key role in the middle overs... Somewhere around 190 is what we are after and you got to be careful as this is a tough ground to defend."
1:19 PM IST: And one change for Aussies. Finch replacing Marcus Stoinis.
Teams:
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Matthew Wade (wk), Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, D Arcy Short, Moises Henriques, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
India: KL Rahul (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan, Yuzvendra Chahal.
1:14 PM IST: TOSS!
Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl first. India are unchanged. Aaron Finch's back.
1:10 PM IST: Cold conditions, around 15 degrees, and Indians wouldn't like. Still a flat pitch, as expected.
1:02 PM IST: First glimpse from the stadium and Aarong Finch is warming up. He's likely to return for the finale. And Josh Hazlewood is also in contention.
12:55 PM IST: Not a good sight, but here's how Will Pucovski got hit
12:53 PM IST: Toss and team news coming up...
12:48 PM IST: The practice match at Drummoyne Oval, Sydney ended in a draw after three days. Scores: IND A [247-9 d (93) & 189-9 d], AUS A [306-9 d (95) & 52-1 (15)]
12:44 PM IST: Bad news for Australia. Aussie talent Will Pucovski just got hit on the hit, again. He tried to duck a Kartik Tyagi delivery but ended up coping. It's reportedly the ninth time that he has been hit on the head.
Letting off is a crime in the cut-throat world of sport. And India, under Virat Kohli, will never do that. Also, considering the upcoming Test series and their series defeat in the ODIs, it's important that India sign off the T20I series with a win. The visitors have a really good chance to become the first side in history to whitewash the Aussies Down Under 3-0 in the shortest format of the game. They were clinical in the first two matches and as expected, will produce another fine performance. Now, it's to the Aussies to change this narrative...
12:40 PM IST: India sealed the three-match T20I series on Sunday with a Hardik Pandya special. After a disappointing start to the tour, India hit back to turn the table on the hosts. Now, they can inflict more woes on the Aussies, who have lost three matches on the trot, across formats -- two in Canberra and one in Sydney.
If India win the third and final T20I match, it will be Australia's second 0-3 series defeat to India. In 2016, India lost the ODIs, then took the T20Is 3-0 under MS Dhoni.
Virat Kohli, who will play one more match before returning home, will hope for a disciplined outing from his side. A 3-0 win in the T20Is will boost their confidence as they get ready for the four-match Border-Gavaskar Test series.
