IND vs AUS 3rd T20I Highlights: Arshdeep, Sundar Shine As India Beat Australia By 5 Wickets To Level Series 1-1

Early breakthroughs from Arshdeep and a composed finish by Sundar helped India chase down 187 with nine balls to spare and level the T20I series in Hobart. Harsh Pareek writes.

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THINGS WERE LOOKING UP for India even before they took to the field. The team's tormentor-in-chief on the tour, Josh Hazlewood, had left the series to prepare for the Ashes, and with Adam Zampa missing from the line-up as well, there was truly no one to anchor Australia's bowling attack. There was a buzz before the game about Glenn Maxwell returning to the side after recovering from the fractured wrist, and perhaps balancing things out with the bat, but he too found himself on the bench in a further boost to India's confidence.

And to top it off, India finally won their first coin toss of the tour (with skipper Suryakumar Yadav celebrating with double fist pumps), and elected to bowl on a gorgeous day at Hobart. With Australia 1-0 ahead in the five-game series (with the first T20I scrapped due to rain), India made three changes in their XI — Jitesh Sharma was keeping wicket in place of Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar came in for Kuldeep Yadav, and Arshdeep Singh replaced Harshit Rana. As for the hosts, just the one change from their winning squad at Melbourne, with Sean Abbott replacing Hazlewood.

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But it was to be Singh's night, who opened India's attack and found success with just his fourth ball, pitching it outside off and the danger man Travis Head being caught mid-off by skipper Yadav. He would find an opening once again in his second over, taking out Head's replacement Josh Inglis, this time caught by Axar Patel at the boundary.

It would fall on Tim David to steady and then accelerate Australia’s innings; they found themselves 43 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. And David would indeed heed the call, letting it rip, be it against pace or spin, managing a half-century in just 23 balls. Australian captain Marsh, who had been keeping things in check on the other end, would be the next to fall at the hands of Varun Chakravarthy, giving up a simple catch to Tilak Varma at 11 off 14.

Chakravarthy would be on the money the very next ball as well, as he bowled the new batsman at the crease — a golden duck for Mitchell Owen. With Australia at 84 for 4 at the halfway mark, it was now up to Marcus Stoinis and David to steady the ship, with the latter still smashing the ball around. It would be Shivam Dube, who otherwise proved to be expensive, to break the partnership in the thirteenth over, bagging David's wicket for 74 off 38 balls (strike rate of 195).

Stoinis thereon kept it slow yet steady, reaching the 50-run mark in the eighteenth over. Once again, it would be Singh to rein things in, getting Stoinis, and with India mostly managing to keep the score in check over the last few overs. Australia finished their innings on 186 for 6.

With a required run rate of 9.35, India's frontman in the format, Abhishek Sharma, raced away from the get-go, and was looking good before Nathan Ellis — who would come out on top as the hosts’ best bowler of the night — off the back of a few quiet balls, got him to edge one, with Inglis taking a simple catch behind the stumps. India's own danger man gone for 25 off 16 balls.

Ellis would strike in the sixth over, taking out Shubman Gill with an lbw, the ball swinging in and landing quite full on middle. Playing in support so far, Gill had only managed 15 off 12 balls. Yadav, who has had a poor run of form in the format coming into the series, went big early on, something we had seen glimpses of in the opening (and abandoned) match, but was made to pay by Stoinis just after the powerplay. A soft dismissal for 24 off 11.

Varma and Patel (both left-hand batsmen) now had the job of rebuilding India's chase. And they did well, playing cautiously and slowly but steadily going about their business. With 105 at the halfway mark, the visitors were on top.

But the partnership would be broken once again by Ellis, who would get Patel on a bouncer. Sundar walked out and almost immediately took charge, racing towards the finish line for India. Varma would fall 29 off 26, but the job was almost done, and with Jitesh Sharma contributing 22 off 13, Sundar took care of the rest with his nifty 49 off 23, just a run shy of a half-century. India won by 5 wickets (with 9 balls remaining).

With India's victory, the series is now level 1-1, with two matches to go — the next in Carrara on 6 November.

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