IND Vs AUS, 5th T20I: India Beat Australia In Bengaluru Thriller, Clinch Series 4-1 - As It Happened

India had their spinners to thank for a win in Raipur over Australia, which, as it happened, sealed the series in favour of the Men in Blue. India vs Australia, 5th T20I, Australia's Tour of India 2023 brought a roller coaster ride of emotions. India won the match by 6 runs after defending a mere 160 runs total. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel played gritty knocks and helped India put up a respectable total on the board after the top-order failed to impress. Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi pair shone again as they kept the Aussi batters at bay. Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh held their nerves in the death overs as India defeated Australia and clinched the series 4-1. Catch the highlights of the 5th IND Vs AUS T20 match here  (Scorecard | Match Report | Cricket News)

That's all from our side!

Suryakumar Yadav, India Captain: It was an enjoyable series. The way the guys demonstrated their abilities was admirable. We wanted to be brave and enjoy ourselves. That makes me delighted. If he (Washington Sundar) had been present, that would have been a bonus. 160-175 is a difficult score to achieve here. I informed the lads it was game on after 10 overs.

Ravi Bishnoi | Player of the Series: I didn't bowl in the first game. I just concentrated on my execution. My strategy is straightforward: bowl stump-to-stump. (On the South Africa series) Different wicket, different task; I'll do my best to adjust as fast as possible.

Axar Patel | Player of the Match: Today was wonderful. In the first four matches, there was dew. Today's wicket was tailor-made for me. I was able to establish my groove after a few games. (Bowling with Ravi Bishnoi) We also played a couple of games for Gujarat. We complement each other and hope that our collaboration expands.

Matthew Wade, Australia Captain: We bowled reasonably well, in my opinion. The last five or six overs (with the bat) were disappointing. There's always the desire to promote (himself), especially when competing against spinners. In instances like tonight, my role is to get the squad home. We've played some excellent cricket. McDermott has recovered. It doesn't get much tougher than this.

Arshdeep Singh: I was thinking that I had given up too many runs (in the first three overs) and was hoping for another opportunity, and thanks to God, I was able to defend it, as well as to the staff for believing in me. Surya informed me (before bowling the last over) that whatever happens, happens, and that the hitters deserve credit as well. We had a cushion of 15-20 runs, which was more than enough. According to the standards we have established as an Indian team, it was not up to par (referring to his performances in this series), but there are many lessons to be learned and we hope to return stronger.

Lowest victory margins in IND vs AUS T20Is (by runs)
4 runs (DLS) - Australia, Brisbane, 2018
6 runs - India, Bengaluru, 2023
11 runs - India, Canberra, 2020
12 runs - Australia, Sydney, 2020
15 runs - India, Durban, 2007

Most wickets for India in a bilateral T20I series
9 - Ravichandran Ashwin vs Sri Lanka (Home, 2016)
9 - Ravi Bishnoi vs Australia (Home, 2023)

Spinners this series
India: 15 wickets at 19.2, SR: 16, ER: 7.2
Australia: 6 wickets at 56.5, SR: 33, ER: 10.27

Brief score: AUS - 154/8 (20)

Ben McDermott - 54 (36),  Travis Head - 28 (18)  |  Mukesh Kumar: (4-0-32-3)

India clinch T20I series 4-1

10:25 pm: India win by 6 runs!
Arshdeep Singh held his nerves and delivered a beautiful final over and brought victory to India. The first two deliveries were dot balls and the third delivery claimed the wicket of captain Matthew Wade after he went to take the aerial route. 10 runs were needed in 3 deliveries and Arshdeep made no mistakes. India won the match and strengthened the series hold with this win. 

AUS - 154/8 (20)

10:20 pm: That's out!
Matthew Wade is out. Caught by Shreyas Iyer. 10 runs are required in 3 deliveries now.

10 runs are required in 6 balls

10:15 pm: AUS - 151/7 (19)
Mukesh Kumar was given the responsibility to bowl the crucial 19th over and he created a half chance on the very first ball but Ruturaj could not hold onto the catch even after trying his best. On the third delivery, Wade smashed a boundary but Mukesh backed in the next three deliveries and gave just one run. Just seven runs from the 19th over. Super stuff from Mukesh under pressure!

10:10 pm: AUS - 144/7 (18)
Matthew Wade hit three consecutive fours to Avesh Khan and made the match interesting. Now, the equation is that 17 runs are needed in 12 balls.

10:07 pm: Mukesh strikes twice!
Mukesh Kumar got hit for a boundary by Matthew Short on the second delivery but he made a comeback on the very next ball and removed him with the help of a smart catch by Ruturaj Gaikwad. Ben Dwarshuis was bowled on the very next delivery. Nathan Ellis joined Matthew Wade at the crease.

AUS - 129/7 (17)

10:00 pm: AUS - 124/5 (16)
Avesh Khan delivered a very tight over but Aussie batters; Matthew Short and Matthew Wade managed 8 runs from the over with four singles and two doubles. 

9:55 pm: Arshdeep gets McDermott!
Ben McDermott completed his fifty with a six off Arshdeep Singh's second delivery. Then Short hit him for a four. But he removed the dangerous batter Ben McDermott on the last delivery of the over.

AUS - 116/5 (15)

9:49 pm: Axar removes David!
Axar Patel was brought back into the attack to complete his last over and he delivered with the wicket of Tim David. Matthew Short is the new batter at the crease. Only three runs were conceded from his over and he finished his overs with the figures of (4-0-14-1).

AUS - 104/4 (14)

9:45 pm: AUS - 101/3 (13)
Arshdeep Singh's fifth delivery went for a six and his whole over got ruined. 11 runs from this over. Now, Australia need 60 runs off 42 balls.

9:40 pm: AUS - 90/3 (12)
Ravi Bishnoi was hit for a big six of 93 meters by McDermott and with four singles Aussie batters managed 10 more runs from this over as well.

9:35 pm: AUS - 80/3 (11)
Mukesh Kumar was brought back into the attack and Tim David smashed a six to release some pressure off Australia. With four singles off the over, 10 runs came from the over of Mukesh.

9:27 pm: AUS - 70/3 (10)
Axar Patel continued his tight bowling from the other end and gave just five runs in his third over. His tight and hard-length deliveries are proven to be hard to pick for Australian batters. 

9:24 pm: AUS - 65/3 (9)
Ravi Bishnoi continued his attack and gave six singles on six deliveries from his over. Australia are on the back foot at the moment.

9:22 pm: AUS - 59/3 (8)
Axar Patel delivered another good over and conceded just four runs from that over.

9:20 pm: Bishnoi removes Hardie!
Ravi Bishnoi struck again after he got the wicket of Aaron Hardie on the last delivery of his over. Earlier, Hardie hit him for a boundary on the third delivery. Tim Davis is the new batter.

AUS - 55/3 (7)

9:15 pm: AUS - 50/2 (6)
Axar Patel started with another good over as if he started from where he left in the last match. Just two runs from the first over of Axar Patel.

9:10 pm: Bishnoi gets Travis Head!
Ravi Bishnoi was introduced in the 5th over and Travis Head smashed a six first and while trying to repeat that, lost his wicket as Ravi Bishnoi bowled him. Aaron Hardie is the new batter.

AUS - 48/2 (5)

9:06 pm: AUS - 40/1 (4)
Avesh Khan continued his attack from the other end and McDermott smashed him for a massive 98-metre six. The Head sent his last delivery for a four. 12 runs from his over. 

9:00 pm: Mukesh gets Phillipe!
Mukesh Kumar was introduced early into the attack and he delivered in his first over with the wicket of Josh Phillipe. Phillipe welcomed him with a boundary but he backed himself and bowled him on the third delivery. Ben McDermott is the new batter and he also finished the over with a thumping six. 10 runs from the over.

AUS - 28/1 (3)

8:55 pm: AUS - 18/0 (2)
Avesh Khan was introduced to the attack and he delivered a good over with five dot balls and conceded just four runs from the over. 

8:50 pm: Australia start batting
Travis Head and Josh Phillipe opened the Australian batting attack and the ball was handed over to Arshdeep Singh. Head welcomed Singh with three back-to-back fours in the first three deliveries. 14 runs came from the first over of Arshdeep.

AUS - 14/0 (1)

Innings Break!

Target set for Australia - 161 runs in 120 balls

Brief score - IND - 160/8 (20)

Shreyas Iyer - 53 (37),  Axar Patel - 31 (21)  |  Ben Dwarshuis: (4-0-30-2)

8:35 pm: Shreyas completes fifty!
Shreyas Iyer hit a four first then a six on the first two deliveries of Nathan Ellis' over and completed his fifty in style. But Ellis bowled him on the very next delivery. Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep somehow took the scorecard to 160 runs. Australia now need 161 runs to win this match.

IND - 160/8 (20)

8:25 pm: Behrendorff gets Patel!
Jason Behrendorff was brought back into the attack and Axar Patel smacked him for a six before he claimed his wicket. 11 runs from the 19th over.

IND - 145/6 (19)

8:20 pm: IND - 134/5 (18)
Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel must be looking to cement their spot for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 as they have provided a good partnership after the wickets fell in successive terms. 10 runs came from Nathan Ellis' over after Axar Patel hit a boundary in that over. 

8:16 pm: IND - 124/5 (17)
Ben Dwarshuis was brought back into the attack and Shreyas Iyer welcomed him with a boundary. Nine runs came from this over of Dwarshuis.

8:12 pm: IND - 115/5 (16)
Tanveer Sangha again bowled a very good over and conceded just seven runs from the over. India need to score some big hits now to put up a respectable total on the board.

8:08 pm: IND - 108/5 (15)
Jason Behrendorff was brought back into the attack and he gave nine runs from his over that included a boundary from Axar Patel. Shreyas Iyer has a very good opportunity to solidify his spot in the T20 squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA.

8:04 pm: Hardie gets Jitesh!
Aaron Hardie got another wicket and this time he is Jitesh Sharma. Jitesh was trying to go for big runs and he eventually lost his wicket. Axar Patel is the new batter. Only two runs from the over. 

IND - 99/5 (14)

7:59 pm: IND - 97/4 (13)
Nathan Ellis was brought back into the attack and the Shreyas-Jitesh pair hit him for fours to add 10 runs from the over.

7:55 pm: IND - 87/4 (12)
Jitesh Sharma was dropped at the boundary and that went for a six. 10 runs came from this over of Tanveer Sangha.

7:50 pm: IND - 77/4 (11)
Jitesh and Shreyas targeted Ben Dwarshuis who was having a good match so far and hit him for 16 runs combined. Jitesh hit him for a four then Shreyas hit for two consecutive boundaries including a six. Big over for India.

7:43 pm: Rinku goes early!
Tanveer Sangha continued his good bowling and delivered with the wicket of in-form power-hitter Rinku Singh. Rinku is added to the ODI squad for the South Africa series as well. There was a chance for him to prove his selection right. But all in vain. Jitesh Sharma is the new batter and he hit Sangha for a boundary as well.

IND - 61/4 (10)

7:37 pm: IND - 55/3 (9)
Aaron Hardie delivered another good over and pressure is now building on the Indian team. Just six runs from the over including a four from Rinku Singh.

7:37 pm: IND - 49/3 (8)
Tanveer Sangha was introduced into the attack and he delivered a brilliant over with conceding just three runs from it.

7:33 pm: Dwarshuis removes SKY!
Ben Dwarshuis is having his best day at work. First, he got the wicket of Rutura Gaikwad and now removed Suryakumar Yadav. Only four runs from his over and a crucial wicket. Rinku Singh has to come early today.

IND - 46/3 (7)

7:27 pm: IND - 42/2 (6)
Nathan Ellis was introduced into the attack and Indian batters managed to extract 8 runs out of his first over including a four from Shreyas Iyer.

7:23 pm: Dwarshuis gets Gaikwad!
Ben Dwarshuis was introduced into the attack and he got the wicket of opener batter Ruturaj Gaikwad after giving an easy catch to Jason Behrendorff at mid-off. Captain Suryakumar Yadav came to the ground.

IND - 34/2 (5)

7:18 pm: India lose 1st wicket!
Jason Behrendorff was targeted by Yashasvi Jaiswal after he hit him with a four and then a six, but he backed his length and removed Jaiswal on the last ball of the over after an easy catch by Nathan Ellis. Shreyas Iyer joined Gaikwad on the pitch.

IND - 33/1 (4)

7:13 pm: IND - 17/0 (3)
Aaron Hardie continued his attack from the other end after a good first over. Jaiswal smacked a big six in his over to extract 8 runs from the over. Jaiswal is rightly proving his inclusion in the squad for the South Africa series.

7:09 pm: IND - 9/0 (2)
Jason Behrendorff delivered another good over in the powerplay conceding just 4 runs. He has been successful against Indian batters in this format.

7:02 pm: India start batting
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal pair opened the innings for India while the ball was handed over to Aaron Hardie. He gave five runs in the first over that also included a boundary on the last ball of the over.

IND - 5/0 (1)

6:34 pm: Toss Update

Australia have won the toss and have opted to field

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh

Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, Josh Philippe, Ben McDermott, Aaron Hardie, Tim David, Matthew Short, Matthew Wade(w/c), Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha

6:34 pm: What captains said
Matthew Wade: We'll be bowling first. The wicket is a little sticky, and there is some rain in the forecast. We made one change. Ellis replaces Green. It's an exciting moment for selectors and new players to make their mark and put pressure on some of the positions.

Suryakumar Yadav: We would have preferred to go bowling first. I advised the guys not to alter anything; this is another chance to play in front of a great audience, so just go have fun (is the message to the team). The way the batting team has performed has just told them to trust and execute. Arshdeep replaces Deepak Chahar. He (Deepak) has returned home due to a medical issue.

6:30 pm: Pitch Report
Traditionally a high-scoring arena. The lush green outfield is one of the causes. It's lightning-fast, but it's not the longest. Square boundaries are 66 and 65 metres, respectively, while downtown is 76 metres. It's a fantastic track. On a longer length, it's fairly dry and has a mosaic design to it, so it could turn a little bit. Through the centre, there is a little more grass, but it is in spots. Perhaps a touch erratic in terms of tempo and bounce. Because of the cloudy conditions, there should not be any dew.

6:26 pm: Pitch updates
Two layers of covers from the pitch are coming off and the covers in the outfield are also coming off. It's a good news. Toss next.

6:20 pm: It's drizzling!
First, there was a slight drizzle and the pitches were covered because of that. But now, it is drizzling more, and extra covers are applied on the pitch. 

6:10 pm: Weather conditions
The temperature in M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru is around 23 degrees Celsius and there are some clouds as well. There is a five percent chance that rain may play spoilsport in the final T20I.

6:10 pm: Head-to-head records
India and Australia have played 30 T20Is so far. India have won 18 of them, while Australia have won 11. There was one match that had no results.

IND  18 - 11  AUS

No Result - 1

5:30 PM: Preview! 

India meet Australia for the 5th and final T20I of the five-game series in Bengaluru, mere days before departing for South Africa in a bilateral tournament that will see the Men in Blue play three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests. With the series against Australia in the bag, eyesights will, surely, be on what lies on the horizon. That said, a win in Bengaluru will not only be the cherry on top of the cake for Team India but will also provide the necessary momentum boost before the upcoming tournament. 

Squads

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer

Australia: Matthew Wade (c), Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa