Suryakumar Yadav hurls a mouthful at Shivam Dube for letting Marcus Stoinis off the hook in India vs Australia 4th T20I

1
A visibly upset Surya flung his arms in the air and made no attempt to hide his displeasure. Surya even hurled a few words at Dube to let him know that he should have done better.

It was the last ball of the 12th over of Australia's chase. Dube, who had done a splendid job till then by picking up the wickets of Australia captain Mitchell Marsh and big hitter Tim David, ran in to complete his second over. With a new man at the crease, Surya's goal was obviously to bowl as many dot balls to Stoinis as possible to further increase Australia's required rate.

Things had gone right according to Surya's plans for the first two balls that Stoinis faced, but in the last ball, Dube missed his mark and provided Stoinis with width to free his arms, which the lanky all-rounder accepted gleefully, cutting it past point for a boundary.

The kind of field that Surya had set, the short ball was a strict no-no. That is exactly why the Indian captain was frustrated.

Spinners, Dube give India big win against Australia

India’s spinners orchestrated a stunning collapse to bowl out Australia for just 119 and secure a commanding 48-run win. The victory handed India a 2–1 lead in the five-match series, with one game remaining in Brisbane on Saturday.

Defending a modest 167 for eight, India turned the contest on its head with a remarkable display of spin bowling. Washington Sundar, playing his first match of the series, produced a sensational spell of 3 wickets for just 3 runs in 1.2 overs, while left-arm spinner Axar Patel claimed 2 for 20. Together, they sparked a collapse that saw Australia lose their last nine wickets for a mere 52 runs.

Varun Chakaravarthy also struck at a crucial moment, bowling Glenn Maxwell for 2 to extinguish any hopes of an Australian revival. Axar’s all-round brilliance earned him the Player of the Match award after his unbeaten 21 off 11 balls earlier helped India push past 160.

Australia appeared to be in control early in the chase, reaching 60 for 1 with opener Matt Short (25) and captain Mitchell Marsh (25) steadying the innings. But once Axar removed Short, India’s spinners took charge. The hosts crumbled to 103 for six and never recovered, eventually being bowled out in 18.2 overs.

Earlier, India’s batting effort was anchored by opener Shubman Gill, who top-scored with 46 off 39 balls. Abhishek Sharma (28) and Shivam Dube (22) provided useful support, while captain Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with a brisk 20 off 10 balls.

Australia’s bowlers had kept the visitors in check for most of the innings, with spinner Adam Zampa (3/45) and pacer Nathan Ellis (3/21) sharing six wickets between them.

Despite the modest total, India’s disciplined bowling attack ensured it was more than enough.

“The way Shubman and Abhishek started, they knew this was not a 200-plus wicket,” said captain Suryakumar Yadav after the match. “They batted smartly and set up the game for the bowlers. It was a complete team effort.”

Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh conceded that his side had been outplayed. “We thought 167 was a par score but we failed to get over the line. Fair play to India — they’re a world-class team,” Marsh said.

With the first T20I in Canberra washed out, India now lead 2–1 and have ensured they cannot lose the series. Australia, meanwhile, will need a win in Brisbane on Saturday to level the contest.

Click here to read article

Related Articles