The Indian cricket team claimed a thrilling 6-run victory over Australia in the fifth and final T20 match on Sunday at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With the series already sealed after India’s win in the fourth fixture at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Thursday, both sides used the dead rubber to test the depths of their squads ahead of the fast-approaching World Cup.
Batting first after losing the toss, India posted a respectable 160-8 from their 20 overs. A brilliant half-century from the in-form Shreyas Iyer provided the backbone for the hosts’ innings. In response, Australia captain Matthew Wade valiantly tried to chase the total down with 44 runs from 32 balls but found little support from the other end. Arshdeep Singh held his nerve in a tense final over, and clever bowling from Mukesh Kumar ultimately restricted the tourists to 154-8 – six runs shy of India’s target.
The win caps off a dominant home series for India, who claimed victory in three of the five matches against the reigning T20 World Cup champions. With the World Cup on the horizon in October, both sides will be pleased to have players in form and plenty of information to assess from this entertaining series.
