Cricket Highlights, 3 Dec: India vs Australia (5th T20I) – India ended the series with a nerve-breaking victory.

India vs Australia (5th T20I) – Highlights

Australia kept India under pressure throughout the match. But in the end, the hosts came back in the match with the great bowling of the pacers. Australia needed 10 runs in the last over. However, Arshdeep Singh did not allow Australia to take more than 3 runs. India defeated Australia by 6 runs in the last match of the series in Bangalore. With this victory, the hosts ended the 5-match series with 4-1.

Arshdeep Singh had to face several times before in this kind of pressure. If we bring up the topic of the big stage, we can remember the scenes of the last over of India’s two matches in the Super Four phase of the 2022 Asia Cup.

Within a day, ‘deja vu’ came into Arshdeep’s life. In Dubai, Pakistan and Sri Lanka needed to score seven runs in six balls to defeat India. Indian captain Rohit Sharma gave the ball to Arshdeep in the last over in both matches. The left-handed pacer failed to defend that run both times. Pakistan and Sri Lanka won the match with 1 ball to spare.

Arshdeep had to face that difficult situation again today in Bengaluru. There were just too many runs to defend. Australia needed 10 from the last over to win. In this series, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav backed Arshdeep despite the latter conceding 37 runs in the previous 3 overs. However, this pacer of Punjab learned from his previous failures, and this time he repaid the trust in a great way.

Arshdeep’s opening three deliveries did not yield any runs to Australian skipper Matthew Wade. Wade was also dismissed on the third ball. Nathan Ellis and Jason Behrendorff can take three singles in the last three balls. But India won the thrilling match by 6 runs, having already secured the series.

India set Australia a target of 161 runs at the start of the batting. In response, Australia stopped at 154 runs at the end of the stipulated over.

Batting first, India did not start well. However, the hosts got good capital from Shreyas Iyer’s fifty and Axar Patel’s fighting innings. Shreyas scored 53 runs off 37 balls. 31 runs came from Axar’s bat.

Chasing the target, Australia kept the reins of the match in hand till 15 overs. But India won the match with impeccable bowling in the last 5 overs. Ben McDermott was successful with the bat for Australia. He scored 54 runs off 36 balls.

Earlier in the first T20 of the series, Australia could not avoid defeat despite scoring 208 runs. Chasing a target of 236 runs in the second match, Australia lost by 44 runs.

Australia won the third match by 5 wickets chasing the huge target of 223 runs thrown by India. Chasing 175 runs in the fourth match, Australia lost by 20 runs. Eventually, India won again in the last match.

India vs Australia Scoreboard    

India – 160/8 (20.0)

Australia – 154/8 (20.0)

Result – India won by 6 runs

Player of the match – Axar Patel

Player of the series – Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi

India vs Australia Playing XIs