Hyderabad: A dazzling 69 off 36 by Surya Kumar Yadav and a 104 runs partnership for the third wicket with half-centurion Virat Kohli propelled India to a three-match T20 series win after the hosts defeated Australia by 6 wickets in the decider at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Sunday.
Their post-powerplay game was top notch as they ensured a boundary almost every over to keep the run rate in check. And with some of his outrageous shots, SKY brought the run rate down in a hurry.
Josh Hazlewood broke SKY's stand with Virat and Australia came back a bit, but with wickets in hand and with Hardik Pandya (25 no off 16, 2x4s 1x6) and Dinesh Karthik (1 no) to come in, it was India's game.
Needing 11 runs in the last over, Kohli (63 off 48, 4s-3 6s-4) mightily swung the bat on the very first ball over long-on off Daniel Sams for a six, but the next ball he succumbed after muscling the ball off the back foot straight into the hands of Aaron Finch at extra-cover reason.
Karthik mistimed the drive to long-off for a single off a slower ball, reducing the target to 4 off 3 balls. Much was expected off Hardik, but he could put bat to a rather intelligent ball outside off stump by Sams.
With 4 runs needed in 2 balls, Hardik cleverly opened the bat face and sliced it fine with one hand to send the ball to the left of short third man for a boundary, thus sealing the series for India with a ball to spare.
Surya walked in when India were struggling at 30/2 in 3.4 overs, losing both openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma falling to Sams (2/33) and Pat Cummins (1/40) respectively.
SKY was at his supreme best as he got off with a boundary early on by hopping and flaying Cummins through vacant extra cover.
He was particularly severe to Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa. In the 8th over, SKY went after Maxwell for two consecutive boundaries. Staying leg-side to a flatter one, he executed a fantastic cut shot past backward point for four, and then slog swept to split deep mid-wicket and deep backward square leg to perfection.
In the 13th over, he whacked Zampa for back-to-back sixes, bringing momentum back in the Indian chase. The first six of the over was a stylish whip over long-on that got him to his half century. In the next ball, he adjusted the bat grip and played a brilliant lofted cover drive off Zampa's full toss for another six.
Soon after posting a 100-plus partnership with Virat, SKY departed. Virat started off with some exquisite shots, but dropped anchor after he lost captain Rohit Sharma for 17.
Earlier, fifties by Cameron Green at the top and Tim David in the death overs propelled Australia to 186/7.
Australia started with a flurry in the first five overs with Green going after the Indian bowlers, reaching his fifty in 19 balls, quickest against India by any player in T20I. Post that, India sprung back into the game. Bhuvanesh Kumar sent back the murderous Green (52 off 21, 7x4s 3x6s) in the last ball of the fith over.
The spin-duo Axar Patel (3/33) and Yuzuvendra Chahal (1/22) curbed the hitting instincts of the Aussie batsmen in the middle overs as they picked up four wickets between them after conceding 55 runs.
India were smiling all the way at the end of the 15th over when restricted Australia to 123/6, but David (54 off 27, 2x4s 4x6s) and Daniel Sams (28 off 20, 1x4 2x6) ensured that their side crosses the 180 runs mark on a trach which had odd balls bouncing and gripping.
David cracked his first T20I half century in just 25 balls. Both David and Sams came down heavily on pacers Bhuvi and Jasprit Bumrah ended up leaking 89 runs in 7 overs, out of which 39 came in their last two overs.
Harshal Patel applied brakes on Australia to deny them cross 190 by just giving away 7 runs in the final over. (UNI)