Spin maestros Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi showcased their brilliance, clinching 4 crucial wickets for a mere 33 runs in 8 overs, steering India to a 20-run victory over Australia in the fourth T20I. This triumph secured India's dominance in the five-match bilateral series with a resounding 3-1 lead, marking their historic 136th T20I win, a record in international cricket.
Despite India posting a challenging total of 174/9 in 20 overs, courtesy of noteworthy contributions from Rinku Singh (46), Jitesh Sharma (35), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (37), Australia appeared poised for victory at 87/3 in the 12th over.
However, the tide turned as Axar Patel, making a comeback after recovering from an injury that sidelined him during the ODI World Cup, and Ravi Bishnoi spun their web, accounting for four vital wickets. This stellar performance restricted Australia to 154/7 in 20 overs, securing a series victory for Suryakumar Yadav's squad.
The win not only gave India an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series but also marked their fifth consecutive T20I series triumph at home. Additionally, India's 136th T20I victory surpassed Pakistan's record, establishing them as the team with the most 20-over international wins.
Suryakumar Yadav celebrated his first series victory as captain, while Travis Head (31) and skipper Matthew Wade (36* off 23 balls) fought hard for Australia. However, Indian spinners, particularly Axar Patel with crucial dismissals of Travis Head, Ben McDermott (19), and Aaron Hardie (9), alongside Bishnoi's removal of Josh Philippe (8), proved challenging for the Australian lineup on a less supportive pitch.
Earlier, India's innings saw a late surge by Rinku Singh (46 off 29 balls) and Jitesh Sharma (35 off 19 balls), rescuing the team from a mid-innings collapse to reach 174/9 in 20 overs. Despite facing a challenging pitch and losing quick wickets towards the end, India's aggressive approach propelled them to a competitive total.
Brief scores:
India 174/9 in 20 overs (Rinku Singh 45, Yashasvi Jaiswal (37), Jitesh Sharma 35, Ruturaj Gaikwad 32; Ben Dwarshuis 3-40, Jason Behrendorff 2-32, Tanveer Sangha 2-30) beat Australia 154/7 in 20 overs (Travis Head 31, Matthew Wade 36 not out; Axar Patel 3-16, Deepak Chahar 2-44) by 20 runs.
