- SYDNEY: Indian team stunned the cricket lover by chasing mammoth total of 198 runs in the third and the last T20 match of the series at Sydney Cricket Ground on 31 January, Sunday.Indian team chased the target of 198 runs on the last ball of the match and won the series by 3-0. Raina hit four on last ball of the innings when they needed two runs on one ball.Raina scored 49 runs in just 25 balls and turned the game and with last boundary he snatched the game from host team.Shrma 52 and Dhawan’s 50 also played vital role in win of Indian team against Australia.Earlier, Australian skipper Shane Watson won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the third and the last T20 match of the series.Shane Watson showed brilliant batting skills and scored brilliant hundred. Star all-rounder helped his team to set huge total for visitors. Indian bowlers failed to stop his bat from scoring quick runs.Kangaroos put 197 runs on the scoreboard courtesy Watson’s inning of 124 runs. Indian spin bowlers Ashwin, Jadega and Yuvraj took one wicket each.Match Summary:
Australia innings (20 overs maximum) R M B 4s 6s SR 
UT Khawaja c †Dhoni b Nehra 14 10 6 2 0 233.33 SR Watson* not out 124 86 71 10 6 174.64 SE Marsh b Ashwin 9 22 12 1 0 75.00 GJ Maxwell c Raina b Yuvraj Singh 3 5 5 0 0 60.00 TM Head b Jadeja 26 32 19 1 1 136.84 CA Lynn c Jadeja b Bumrah 13 12 9 2 0 144.44 CT Bancroft† not out 0 1 0 0 0 – Extras (lb 2, w 4, nb 2) 8 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 197 (9.85 runs per over) Did not bat :AJ Tye, CJ Boyce, SM Boland, SW Tait
Fall of wickets : 1-16 (Khawaja, 2.2 ov), 2-69 (Marsh, 7.4 ov), 3-75 (Maxwell, 9.1 ov), 4-168 (Head, 16.6 ov), 5-193 (Lynn, 19.4 ov)Bowling O M R W Econ 0s 4s 6s A Nehra 4 0 32 1 8.00 9 2 2 JJ Bumrah 4 0 43 1 10.75 7 6 0 (2nb) R Ashwin 4 0 36 1 9.00 6 2 1 (1w) RA Jadeja 4 0 41 1 10.25 7 2 3 Yuvraj Singh 2 0 19 1 9.50 3 1 1 HH Pandya 2 0 24 0 12.00 2 3 0 (3w) India innings (target: 198 runs from 20 overs) R M B 4s 6s SR RG Sharma c Watson b Boyce 52 57 38 5 1 136.84 S Dhawan c †Bancroft b Watson 26 18 9 4 1 288.88 V Kohli b Boyce 50 49 36 2 1 138.88 SK Raina not out 49 38 25 6 1 196.00 Yuvraj Singh not out 15 28 12 1 1 125.00 Extras (b 1, w 7) 8 Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 200 (10.00 runs per over)
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| Indian players celebrate after winning clean sweep of Australia in the T20 series. |
So, what a series this has been! After losing the first four contests of the ODI series, India have come back strongly to win four in a row now. Not sure when was the last time a visiting side was as dominant as India during the entire T20I series. There are a lot of positives for MS Dhoni's men, especially in the bowling department. Australia, on the other hand, are yet to find their right combination. They'll have to do so quickly though as the World T20 is just a little more than a month away. For now, the hosts will travel to New Zealand to take part in a 3-match ODI series, that will be followed by a 2-match Test series as well. On the other hand, India will next play Sri Lanka in a 3-match T20I series at home.
Dhoni collects the trophy and his team-mates also join him in celebrations. They all look extremely delighted while posing for the shutterbugs. The Indians then go for a walk around the ground to thank their supporters
Dhoni: I think I will give a lot of credit to the bowlers. The batsmen were doing well in the ODI series as well. I think that's what has changed after the 4th ODI. The batsmen too have notched up 10 percent more, but the bowlers are the ones, who have done a fantastic job in this series. If everything goes well, this will be our side for the World T20. Maybe 2-3 changes because the conditions will be a little different in India. But mostly, it will almost stay the same for the World T20. We need those part timers, Yuvraj, Pandya and Raina. They give you the extra option with the ball and that gives us more depth as a side. Both (Kohli and Rohit) of them are playing really well and it's important for them to enjoy their cricket at the moment. There are times when you won't score many runs, it's bound to happen to everyone and that's why it's important for them to score as many as possible when they are in such good form.
Watson: They're no doubt special (talking about the Indian batting). They showed it in the ODI series and now in the T20Is as well. They have got some really great world-class players, it's always difficult to beat them. I am just loving every minute of playing for Australia. I feel privileged to captain my country. It can be hectic at times, but it has been a lot of fun. I do enjoy batting at the top of the order. Initially, I could play well and then I took the momentum forward. Once we really solidify our combination for the World T20, we have got some world-class players as well, we should have a very successful tournament. We just need to get our team right.
Shane Watson is the Man of the Match
Kohli: It feels really special right now. We wanted to finish the tour on 4-4 and I am really happy with the way we finished the game. The credit goes to the whole team, everyone has played well. I was pretty disappointed when I got out because I wanted to finish the game today. It was great to see Yuvi and Raina finishing it for us, great to see them both performing like that and winning it for us. I have always said this before as well, I am a big fan of Rohit's batting. Everything is just so easy for him, he deserves a lot of credit, along with Shikhar Dhawan as well. I would like to think so (on being the favourites to win the World T20). We have a few more games before the World T20 and we would like to keep doing better.
Virat Kohli is the Man of the Series
What a magnificent end to the series for India! Considering they needed 17 runs off the final over, the pressure was on both Raina and Yuvi, who was batting for the first time in the series. And well, they have delivered. He smashed the first two balls for a four and six in the final over to bring the equation down to 7 needed from 4 balls. In the end, it was Raina, who hit the winning runs and finished with a 25-ball 49. Earlier, Rohit and Dhawan got India off to a rollicking start and the visitors raced away to 74/1 at the end of the powerplay. Kohli started where from he left off, notching up yet another fifty to make it three in a row this series. Even though both Rohit and Kohli got out soon after reaching their fifties, Raina and Yuvi held their nerves to take their team home. All those jokes about Yuvraj Singh not performing were also put to bed with those two glorious strikes in the final over. With this 3-0 series win, India have jumped from 8th position to the top of the ICC T20I rankings! This is also the second highest successful run-chase in a T20I against Australia.
That,s M S Dhoni's Captaincy
ReplyDeleterohit sikhkar and virat also played a crucial role.........and the bolwers supported well....uv and raina finished the series in style
Deletegood to get the momentum back yo us before the mega event ICC WORLD T20.
ReplyDeletehope this winning streak continues.
now india is no: 1 team in t20