Arshdeep Singh held his nerves in the final over and defended 10 runs comfortably to help India register a 6-run win over Australia in the fifth T20I at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. It was another thrilling contest and India once again ended up on the winning side as they sealed the five-match series 4-1.
Mukesh Kumar (3/32) and Shreyas Iyer (53) were the standout performers for India in the dead-rubber as Australia crumbled under pressure at the fag end of the innings. Chasing the 161-run target, Australia were in control for the majority of their innings, but Mukesh swung the game in India’s favour with back-to-back wickets in the 17th over. And then Arshdeep was clinical in the final over to seal the game for India.
Matthew Wade’s wicket on the third ball of the last over almost ended Australia’s chances in the game.
Ben McDermott’s bellicose half-century (54, 36b, 5×6) nearly trumped Iyer’s effort, but the Aussies crumbled in the final lap to end up with 154 for eight.
The 28-year-old also brought up his fifty, second in T20Is, in grand style lifting the same bowler for a maximum straight over the sight screen, and then celebrated the mark with a square cut off the very next ball that sped to the fence.
Mcdermott, son of former Australian pacer Craig, realised 47 runs for the fourth wicket with Tim David, who made a run-a-ball 17 as he struggled to unfurl his big shots on a slow surface.
Earlier, India lost regular wickets after being put into bat first before Shreyas Iyer smashed 53 off 37 balls to lift India’s total to 160/8 in Bengaluru.
Fast bowler Aaron Hardie (1-21) and leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha (1-26) bowled disciplined line and lengths on a sluggish pitch.
With rain in the air and a slight drizzle in the evening, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal attacked but Behrendorff, a left-arm quick, cut short the left-hand batsman’s stay on 21.
Dwarshuis, also a left-arm pace bowler, then sent back Ruturaj Gaikwad, for 10, and captain Suryakumar Yadav, for five, and soon India slipped to 55-4 after Rinku Singh departed.
Iyer put on fighting partnerships of 42 with Jitesh Sharma, who made 24, and 46 with Axar Patel, who hit back with 31 from 21 balls.
Iyer raised his fifty with a four and six but soon Nathan Ellis bowled the batsman with a yorker.
Pace duo fast bowlers Behrendorff and Dwarshuis took two wickets each but Iyer’s fifty was enough to take them to a fighting total.
Brief scores: India 160/8 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 53, Jitesh Sharma 24, Axar Patel 31; Jason Behrendorff 2/38, Ben Dwarshuis 2/30) beat Australia 154/8 in 20 overs (Ben McDermott 54; Mukesh Kumar 3/32, Ravi Bishnoi 2/29) by 6 runs.
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