BENGALURU: Shreyas Iyer smashed 53 and fast bowler Arshdeep Singh kept calm in a tense final over as India edged Australia by six runs to seal the Twenty20 series 4-1 on Sunday.

India posted 160-8 in the fifth match after Iyer propelled the total with his 37-ball knock despite losing regular wickets after the tourists elected to field first in Bengaluru.

Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar (3-32) and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2-29) stood out as the hosts, who took an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the fourth T20, restricted Australia to 154-8.

But it was left-arm quick Arshdeep who defended nine in the last over when he began with two dot balls and then the wicket of skipper Matthew Wade for 22 to dim Australia’s hopes.

The next three balls got the batting team just three runs as India celebrated victory.

It was a second-string Indian team which gave some consolation to the fans who witnessed hosts India lose the ODI World Cup final to Australia on November 19 in Ahmedabad.

Ben McDermott smashed 54 off 36 deliveries but the batting wobbled after his departure and Mukesh struck twice on two deliveries to dent the chase.

He took down Matthew Short, for 16, Ben Dwarshuis, on a duck, to be on a hat-trick averted by Nathan Ellis.

The left-handed Wade sma­shed four boundaries and looked set to get the team home but a rising delivery from Arshdeep at the start of the final over made him angry as he signalled to the umpires for a no-ball.

Wade protested and got out two balls later to take back his team’s hopes, still dejected and waving his bat.

Earlier, India lost regular wickets but Iyer set up victory after he put on fighting partnerships of 42 with Jitesh Sharma, who made 24, and 46 with Axar Patel, who hit back with 31 from 21 balls.

Iyer, who returned in the previous match after resting following the team’s World Cup defeat, raised his fifty with a four and six before be was bowled by Ellis.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA:

Y. Jaiswal c Ellis b Behrendorff21

R. Gaikwad c Behrendorff b Dwarshuis10

S. Iyer b Ellis53

S. Yadav c McDermott b Dwarshuis5

R. Singh c David b Sangha6

J. Sharma c Short b Hardie24

A. Patel c Hardie b Behrendorff31

R. Bishnoi run out2

A. Singh not out2

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-2, W-3)6

TOTAL (for eight wickets, 20 overs)160

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-33 (Jaiswal), 2-33 (Gaikwad), 3-46 (Yadav), 4-55 (R. Singh), 5-97 (Sharma), 6-143 (Patel), 7-156 (Iyer), 8-160 (Bishnoi)

DID NOT BAT: A. Khan, M. Kumar

BOWLING: Hardie 4-0-21-1, Behrendorff 4-0-38-2, Dwarshuis 4-0-30-2 (1w), Ellis 4-0-42-1 (2w), Sangha 4-0-26-1

AUSTRALIA:

T. Head b Bishnoi28

J. Philippe b Kumar4

B. McDermott c R. Singh b A. Singh54

A. Hardie c Iyer b Bishnoi6

T. David c Khan b Patel17

M. Short c Gaikwad b Kumar16

M. Wade c Iyer b A. Singh22

B. Dwarshuis b Kumar0

N. Ellis not out4

J. Behrendorff not out2

EXTRAS (W-1)1

TOTAL (for eight wickets, 20 overs)154

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-22 (Philippe), 2-47 (Head), 3-55 (Hardie), 4-102 (David), 5-116 (McDermott), 6-129 (Short), 7-129 (Dwarshuis), 8-151 (Wade)

DID NOT BAT: T. Sangha

BOWLING: A. Singh 4-0-40-2 (1w), Khan 4-0-39-0, Kumar 4-0-32-3, Bishnoi 4-0-29-2, Patel 4-0-14-1

RESULT: India won by six runs.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Axar Patel

SERIES: India won the five-match series 4-1.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2023