A late umpiring blunder left Australia’s captain, Matthew Wade, furious as India clinched a thrilling six-run victory in the fifth and final T20 clash in Bengaluru.
The all-rounder Aaron Hardie (one for 21) and the spinner Tanveer Sangha (one for 26) showcased strong performances with the ball as Australia held India to a total of 160 on Sunday night (Monday AEDT).
Ben McDermott (54 off 36 balls) initiated the early fireworks in the response, but Australia found themselves in a tough spot, requiring 32 runs off 17 balls with only three wickets remaining.
In the blink of an eye, Wade (22 off 15) altered the equation by hitting three consecutive boundaries off Avesh Khan’s bowling.
Australia required 10 runs in the final over, delivered by paceman Arshdeep Singh. It was at this point that things went completely awry for Australia, with some instances being beyond their control.
Singh’s first delivery was a bouncer that sailed over Wade’s head. Wade, feeling incredulous and incensed, gestured angrily at the square-leg umpire when no wide was called, expressing frustration at the non-call.
On the next ball, a yorker forced Wade to bunt for no run, and he was caught in the deep on the third delivery, resulting in his dismissal. With a single from Jason Behrendorff, Australia required nine runs from the final two balls.
However, their hopes of victory were dashed when the stumps umpire couldn’t evade in time as Nathan Ellis smashed the fifth delivery straight back down the ground.
Instead of registering a boundary, Australia could only scamper through for a single, bringing their hopes to an end as they finished at eight for 154. The outcome allowed India to secure a 4-1 series win.
“It’s challenging to comprehend right now, not being able to get us home,” Wade expressed about the defeat. “I thought we bowled relatively well. We kept them to a total that probably should have been chased at this ground.”
“It’s pretty disappointing. It would have been nice to get the result tonight. I think a 3-2 score would have been a reflection of where the series was at,” commented Wade.
After 9.1 overs, India found themselves at four for 55, but valuable contributions from Shreyas Iyer (53 off 37 balls) and Axar Patel (31 off 21) propelled the home side to a defendable total.
Australia’s pace bowler Ben Dwarshuis initially took two for five from his first two overs but faced some punishment thereafter, concluding with figures of two for 30.
Australia’s run chase kicked off strongly, with Travis Head (28 off 18 balls) and McDermott actively involved in the action.
During his explosive innings, McDermott hit five sixes, including one that soared 98 meters out of the stadium. However, every time Australia seemed to have control of the game, a cluster of wickets would follow.
In consecutive deliveries, Mukesh Kumar claimed the wickets of Matt Short (16) and Dwarshuis (0), causing Australia to crumble to seven for 129. Despite Wade’s efforts to produce some crucial boundaries, he couldn’t carry the team over the line.
Axar Patel stood out as India’s top bowler, finishing with figures of one for 14 off four overs. However, Singh emerged as the hero by conceding just three runs in the final over.
