After Krunal Pandya shone with the ball, Indian skipper Virat Kohli smashed a blistering half-century to help the Men in Blue not only clinch a six-wicket win over Australia in the third and final T20I but also end the series with a 1-1 draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 165 runs, openers Rohit Sharma (23) and Shikhar Dhawan (41) provided a strong start to the visiting side, stitching a crucial 67-run partnership for the opening wicket before falling prey to Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc, respectively.
After India lost KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant in quick successions, Kohli not only notched up an unbeaten knock of 61 off 41 balls, but also shared a 60-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Dinesh Karthik (unbeaten at 22) to help his side end the three-match series on a winning note. The visitors claimed the victory with two balls to spare.
While Adam Zampa grabbed a wicket-maiden, Mitchell Starc , Glenn Maxwell and Andrew Tye also chipped in with a wicket each.
Earlier, Australia posted a respectable score of 164 for six after skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and opted to bat first.
D’Arcy Short (33 off 29) and Finch (28 off 23 balls) who shared a partnership of 68 runs for the opening wicket were the notable scorers for the home side. While Alex Carey also contributed with 27 runs, Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile remained unbeaten at 25 and 13 runs, respectively.
For India, Krunal Pandya was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed his maiden four-wicket haul, finishing with terrific figures of four for 36. Pandya also scripted a new record as he posted the best bowling figures by any Indian bowler in T20I cricket in Australia.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav also chipped in with a wicket for India.
Krunal Pandya was declared as the Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling spell while Dhawan was adjudged as the Player of the Series following his significant contribution with the bat throughout the series.
The two sides will now head into four-match Test series, beginning December 6 at the Adelaide Oval.
