India overtook Australia by recording the straight second victory in the T20 International series against Australia on Sunday by six wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Hardik Pandya's two sixes in the last over got India the continuous second victory against the Kangaroos.
India has now taken a lead of 2-0 in the series and the victory has made Team India bounce back from the defeat that they suffered in the ODI series. It is for the first time when India is taking lead against Australia in the T20 series after 2016.
Hitting half-century, Shikhar Dhawan scored 52 runs, Team India captain Virat Kohli scored 40 and K.L. Rahul added 30 runs on 22 balls, which helped India chase the target of 195. Bowled by Andrew Tye, Hardik Pandya had back-to-back fours in the second last over. Striking against Daniel Sams, Pandya took two runs off the first ball. He then, clearing the boundary, hit the second ball wide of long-on
Pandya then tried to get an upper cut on the third ball but missed it completely before depositing the fourth past deep midwicket over the boundary. The partnership between Pandya and Shreyas Iyer, who scored 12 off five balls, remained unbeaten on 46. It was India's second highest partnership after the opening stand of 56 between Dhawan and Rahul.
Sams, Tye, Mitchell Swepson and Adam Zampa got a wicket each as Australia bowled as many as seven bowlers.
Earlier, Matthew Wade, who was standing in as Australia's captain and opening batsman in place of the injured Aaron Finch, scored 58 off 32 balls as Australia scored 194/5. Steve Smith scored 46 off 38 while Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques and Marcus Stoinis chipped in from the lower order to take Australia close to the 200-run mark.
(With agency inputs)
