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India rode on Arshdeep Singh's stunning last-over heroics to thrash Australia in the fifth T20I at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on December 3, Sunday. With this India wrapped up the up five-match series with an unassailable lead of 4-1 as they avenged their ODI World Cup final defeat against Australia.
India posted a total of 160/8, thanks to Shreyas Iyer's blistering 53 off 37. In reply, Indian bowlers troubled Australia, who at one point looked comfortably cruising towards victory. In the last over when Australia needed just 10 runs, Arshdeep brought his A game to the fore and gave away just three runs to seal the match for India. Arshdeep bowled two back-to-back dots in the ultimate over and then followed it up with a prized wicket of Australian skipper Matthew Wade to almost turn the match in India's favour. Australia eventually were reduced to 154/8 and were handed a six-run defeat to sign off the series on a losing note.
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Australia's pursuit of 161 was dealt an early blow as Mukesh Kumar and Ravi Bishnoi wreaked havoc, removing openers Travis Head and Josh Phillipe within the powerplay overs. Mukesh sent Phillipe packing for a brisk four off as many balls, while Bishnoi accounted for Head's well-played 28 off 18 deliveries. By the end of the powerplay, Australia had limped to 50/2. Bishnoi continued his impressive spell by dismissing Aaron Hardie for a meager 6 off 10 balls in his subsequent over.
Tim David and Ben McDermott then embarked on a crucial partnership, adding 47 runs for the fourth wicket. However, their promising stand was cut short by Axar, who dismissed David for a quickfire 17 off as many balls.
McDermott, nonetheless, reached his half-century before falling to Arshdeep Singh for a well-constructed 54 off 36 deliveries.
Mukesh Kumar further dented Australia's hopes by dismissing both Matthew Short (16 off 11) and Ben Dwarshuis (0) in consecutive deliveries.
Matthew Wade fought valiantly to keep Australia in the chase, but his efforts were in vain as he was eventually dismissed by Arshdeep for a battling 22 off 15 balls in the final over.
Earlier, Despite Shreyas Iyer's well-crafted 53, Australia's bowlers skillfully exploited the tricky pitch to restrict India to a modest 160 for eight in the deciding fifth T20I.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Australian captain Matthew Wade's bowlers delivered admirably, responding to his call with a collective effort.
From the outset, it was evident that the Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch was not the usual batting paradise, demanding more from the batters.
Iyer led the way with a refined fifty, showcasing a balanced approach of well-judged singles and twos, interspersed with occasional big hits. His remarkable six over mid-off off left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis highlighted his exceptional shot-making ability.
While no other batter could match Iyer's brilliance, Axar Patel provided valuable support with a quickfire 31 off 21 balls. Their 46-run partnership for the sixth wicket provided some much-needed momentum.
Iyer reached his fifty in style, hammering a massive six over mid-wicket off pacer Nathan Ellis, energising the crowd.
However, Australia's exceptional bowling performance proved too strong to overcome.
The Aussie pacers, understanding the pitch's behavior well, immediately took pace off the ball, making it challenging for the Indian batters.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was their first victim. The Indian opener started brightly, smashing pacers Jason Behrendorff and Aaron Hardie for a six each. However, left-arm pacer Behrendorff deceived Jaiswal with a rising delivery, and Ellis completed a fine running catch near square leg.
In-form Ruturaj Gaikwad's attempt to clear the ring off Dwarshuis ended in Behrendorff's hands, leaving India without their openers within the Power Play itself.
Suryakumar Yadav appeared to have escaped the clutches of Ben McDermott when his uppish square cut off Dwarshuis went flying sideways. However, that was not to be. Suryakumar soon fell to Dwarshuis as his attempted square cut off the pacer was caught by McDermott at point.
Rinku Singh, entering the field to a loud cheer from the near-capacity crowd, struggled to adapt to the tricky surface. Dragging a shot from outside off-stump off leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha, Tim David at long-on had no trouble completing the catch.
Jitesh Sharma (24 off 16 balls) assisted Shreyas in adding 42 runs for the fifth wicket, but India's batters continued to struggle to form substantial partnerships.
India will be now touring to South Africa for multi-format series which is scheduled to kick off from December 10.
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