Ind vs Aus
T20: Sharma powers India to series-levelling win against Australia
Captain Rohit Sharma struck 46 not out off 20 balls to power India to a six-wicket win over Australia and level their T20 series Friday.
Sharma's blitz led India to 92-4 after Australia scored 90-5.
The second T20 was reduced to eight overs a side after a wet outfield delayed the start for 2 1/2 hours. Bowlers were limited to two overs each.
Sharma struck four fours and another four sixes as India chased down Australia's total with four balls to spare.
Chasing 91 off 48 balls in a power shootout, Sharma and Lokesh Rahul, who scored 10, put on 39 runs off 17 balls for the first wicket.
India collapsed to 55-3 in the space of 10 deliveries. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa struck a triple blow to send back Rahul, Virat Kohli (11) and Suryakumar Yadav (0) in quick succession and take 3-16.
Sharma was in ominous touch, though. He powered through with a 22-run partnership off 14 balls with Hardik Pandya (9) as India edged closer to the total.
Dinesh Karthik then smashed 10 runs off two balls and the series was level with one match left.
Read: IND vs AUS 2022: 6 key statistics to know before the T20I series
Put in to bat, Matthew Wade was the star of the Australia innings with 43 not out off 20 balls.
Aaron Finch's 31 off 15 launched the visitors even as Cameron Green (5) was run out cheaply.
Spinner Axar Patel dismissed Glenn Maxwell (0) and Tim David (2) at a cost of only 13 runs, and Jasprit Bumrah returned to international cricket by castling Finch with a near-perfect yorker.
Australia were down to 46-4 in five overs when Wade took over. He smacked four fours and three sixes to give them a challenging total.
The third and last T20 is on Sunday in Hyderabad, where 20 people were injured on Thursday in a stampede for tickets.
IND vs AUS 2022: 6 key statistics to know before the T20I series
All the major cricketing nations are now busy preparing for the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2022, which will take place in less than a month. India, the top-ranked side in the world, will host Australia, the defending World Cup winners, for a three-match Twenty20 international series beginning on September 20 (Monday). Let’s take a look at IND vs AUS's six key stats in T20 format.
India vs Australia T20I: Six records which must need to know
Whenever India and Australia meet each other in a bilateral series, that sparks interest among cricket fans in general. Especially over the last two decades, the rivalry between the two sides has reached a new height. Cricket’s shortest format, Twenty20, is not an exception.
Both teams have met each other on 23 occasions in the Twenty20 format. The Indian side is leading the head-to-head duel with 13 victories, while Australia have nine victories. Here are six interesting stats of the IND vs AUS contest in the Twenty20 format.
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Most bilateral T20I series victories: India
India and Australia have played a total of nine T20I series to date. The Indian side has led the head-to-head battle with four wins, while Australia have won only two. The remaining three series ended in a draw.
Virat Kohli: The top scorer
Virat Kohli is currently leading the most runs scorers chart with 718 runs in 19 innings. He has also hit seven half-centuries between the two sides and has a stellar 146.23 strike rate.
Jasprit Bumrah: The highest wicket-taker
India’s pace bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, has picked up the most wickets with 15 in 11 innings. He has maintained a 16.2 strike rate with an economy rate of 7.45.
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Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell: The two Centurions
Australia’s Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell are the only two players who have hundreds in T20Is between India and Australia. Watson scored his hundred (124*) in Sydney in 2016, while Maxwell notched his century (113*) in Bengaluru in 2019.
MS Dhoni: Most Dismissals
Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has the most dismissals in T20Is between the two sides. He has a total of 15 dismissals in 17 innings.
Glenn Maxwell: Most sixes
Australia's Glenn Maxwell has hit the most sixes of the two teams. Maxwell has hammered 28 sixes in 15 innings.
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Bottom Line
India is a challenging opponent at home. Therefore, the home team will start as the favourite to defeat the Australian team in the series. The Indian players have also outperformed their Australian counterparts in head-to-head statistics, which may give them more confidence going into the IND vs AUS T20I series. However, the Australian team can draw motivation from their most recent T20I series triumph in India in 2019.
India on cusp of winning 2nd Test against Australia at MCG
India needs just 70 runs to win the second cricket Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after bowling Australia out for 200 in its second innings at lunch on Tuesday’s fourth day of play.