Kohli, Yadav propel India to series clinching victory over Australia

HYDERABAD: India won the third and deciding Twenty20 against Australia in the last over after punchy fifties by Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav in Hyderabad on Sunday.

The hosts won by six wickets with one ball remaining after Hardik Pandya, unbeaten on 25, hit the winning boundary. Kohli and Yadav stabilised the innings after India lost both openers – Rohit Sharma (17) and KL Rahul (1) – early in their chase after Australia scored 186-7.

Kohli fell in the last over after a 48-ball 63 with India still five short of victory. Earlier, Yadav blasted 50 in 29 balls before he fell to Josh Hazlewood for a 36-ball 69.

Yadav hit five sixes and five fours in his player-of-the-match winning innings. “I have always wanted to express myself. That’s how I practice in the nets. Just loving (batting) at number four,” Yadav said after the match. India’s Rohit Sharma won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first.

Impressive fifties by Tim David and Cameron Green took Australia to a formidable score. Rookie opener Green hit a 21-ball 52, with seven fours and three sixes, to put the hosts on the defensive.

But Green received little support from other top-order batters as left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who has been India’s best bowler in the three-match series, chipped away at the other end. Patel finished with 3-33 and took the key wickets of skipper Aaron Finch (7), Josh Inglis (24) and in-form Matthew Wade (1).

The left-armer, India’s most impressive bowler in all three matches, was also the player-of-the-series The hosts looked set to restrict Australia to a below-par score before the newest T20 sensation Tim David dismantled the Indian pacers in an impressive display of power hitting. David hit a 27-ball 54 with four sixes and two boundaries before he was dismissed by Harshal Patel, who finished with 1-18 after two overs. Green was also Australia’s most impressive bowler with three wicketless overs for only 14 runs.