1st T20i
India 3 for 188 (Kohli 90*) beat Australia 151 (Finch 44, Bumrah 3-23) by 37 runs
Virat Kohli spent the recent ODI series piling up runs all over Australia, hundreds in two games and half-centuries in two more. He hovered at a run a ball for most of the series, finishing with 381 runs from 384 deliveries. But there were times India might have wished he would change gear instead of remaining on cruise control. That lift in tempo came in the first T20, Kohli's unbeaten 90 from 55 balls setting up an Indian win by 37 runs at Adelaide Oval.
There were others who contributed to the result: Suresh Raina provided valuable support with 41 off 34 balls and Rohit Sharma set India's innings off to a strong start with 31 from 20 after Aaron Finch sent them in. Jasprit Bumrah and India's spinners then stifled Australia in the chase, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja each collecting two wickets and keeping the runs tight, giving Australia an unwelcome but important taste of what they might face in the World T20 in India in March.
But Kohli was the real architect of this win. Remarkable though it is, Kohli is yet to score a century in his prolific Twenty20 career, and he looked like he might rectify that in his 176th match in the format. Kohli passed his previous highest T20 international score of 78 not out and had moved on to 87 by the start of the final over, but faced only the first and last balls of the 20th. MS Dhoni used the others to smash 11 not out off three.
It meant India finished on 3 for 188 and from there they deserved to be firm favourites: no team has ever chased down more than 158 to win a T20 international in Australia. There were some encouraging signs early for Australia as Aaron Finch and David Warner rushed to 0 for 34 from the first three overs, but Bumrah helped tie them down and claimed the important wicket of Warner, caught pulling for 17 off 9.
It was a strange sort of match in terms of personnel, full of debutants and returning veterans who had wildly fluctuating fortunes. In his first T20 international Bumrah was excellent, his 3 for 23 key to restricting Australia. His fellow Indian debutant, Hardik Pandya, was all over the place - literally. His first over in international cricket brought five wides on both sides of the pitch, but he bounced back to pick up the wickets of Chris Lynn and Matthew Wade to finish with 2 for 37 off three.
Australia's debutant, Travis Head, was lbw to Jadeja for 2 from 5 balls, swiping across the line during a slump in which Australia lost three wickets for four runs in two overs. At the other end of the experience scale Shaun Tait, in his first international for nearly five years, leaked 45 from four overs; Ashish Nehra bowled reasonably for 1 for 30, also playing for his country for the first time since 2011; Shane Watson bowled well for 2 for 24; and Yuvraj Singh had little to do.
Little, but not quite nothing. Yuvraj bowled one over for 10 but his major impact came with major impact to his hands, snaring a catch at cover when Lynn drove with fearsome power. Lynn fell for 17 off 16, having struggled against the spinners, and Australia will want to see improvement from him over the next two games for him to be in World T20 contention. Jadeja and Ashwin were both outstanding, Ashwin with 2 for 28 and Jadeja with 2 for 21, each from four.
Australia were bowled out in the 20th over of their pursuit, reaching just 151 as regular wickets throughout their innings hurt their momentum. They had wanted to chase, they just didn't want to chase this many. Notably, wickets fell in only two overs of India's innings, Watson having claimed two in his first over of the match and James Faulkner picking up a consolation one in the 20th. Faulkner, Tait and Kane Richardson all leaked more than 10 an over.
Perhaps things might have been different had Richardson caught Rohit at long leg off Tait in the first over of the match, as he should have but for a misjudgement of the ball's flight. Then again, maybe that would only have served to give Kohli almost a full 20 overs at the crease, which could hardly havd served Australia well given the form he was in. Kohli struck nine fours and two sixes, but rarely played what could be called a risky shot.
After Watson got rid of both Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan, the Kohli-Raina partnership was worth 134, India's third-highest for any wicket in T20 internationals, and their highest for the third wicket. No bowler escaped from Kohli, who picked runs off the legspin of Cameron Boyce as he did by using the pace of the fast men. And importantly after India lost the ODI series 4-1, Kohli found top gear, and found enough runs to keep India out of Australia's reach.
2nd T20i
India 184/3 (20/20 ov)
Australia 157/8 (20/20 ov)
India won by 27 runs
India's first series victory of any kind in Australia since the summer of Monkeygate is proving an unmitigated disaster for the hosts, who now face real uncertainty over their captaincy. Aaron Finch twanged a hamstring as his side fell apart under the pressure of a chase for the second time in as many matches.
The game evolved in a near action replay of the opening match in Adelaide, as Australia were unable to capitalise on a strong start by Finch and Shaun Marsh in pursuit of a strong Indian total built upon the batting of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Steven Smith and David Warner are set to fly to New Zealand on Saturday, leaving a considerable leadership vacuum should Finch be unfit for the third T20 in Sydney on Sunday. His likely absence may at least mean an opportunity for Usman Khawaja, the outstanding batsman of the summer so far.
India's serenity made for a marked contrast, as an unchanged team from Adelaide built steadily into a firm tally batting first before defending it grandly with the help of some tremendous fielding. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin were aided by Yuvraj Singh, while the medically-enforced absence of Darren Lehmann appears to have been felt in the way the Australians have shown little composure under pressure.
As had been the case in Adelaide, Australia's openers began with fluency and power, this time zooming to 94 inside 10 overs. However, the introduction of spin had again drawn chances, as Marsh and Finch (thrice) were both reprieved by MS Dhoni and his outfielders.
Oddly, Marsh responded to the surfeit of good fortune by trying his luck yet again against R Ashwin and being caught at long on. Chris Lynn did not last long, skying Hardik Pandya to be taken safely by Dhoni, before Glenn Maxwell was lured down by Yuvraj and stumped in the blink of an eye by India's captain.
Momentum was now flowing to India just as surely as it had done in the opening match, and Jadeja turned it into a torrent by holding a return catch from Shane Watson that may have struck him in the head without a brilliant interception. At the other end Finch's frustration was mounting despite his own strong effort.
This all compounded in the very next over when Matthew Wade called his captain through for a single so rapid that Jadeja's wide throw was good enough to have Dhoni breaking the stumps in time. On his way down the pitch, Finch appeared to ping a hamstring, and cursed the world as he hobbled off the field, his place in future plans now under a cloud to rank with any that hovered over Melbourne this afternoon.
The rest was academic - Wade hit out by way of contrition, James Faulkner was unluckily out when Dhoni fumbled onto the wicket for an accidental stumping, and the run rate blew out to dimensions that quietened a healthy crowd of 58,787. They went home aware that Australia's problems are mounting, while Indian plans fall usefully into place.
In addition to Warner and Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Boyce, Shaun Tait and Kane Richardson were dropped in the biggest upheaval to an Australian side since another T20 series, against West Indies in early 2013.
In their places were Tye, Maxwell, John Hastings, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon. Hastings, Lyon and Tye made their T20 debuts as the selectors experimented ahead of the World T20 in India.
In the absence of Tait, it was a lower velocity pairing of Watson and John Hastings who shared the new ball, but the change of pace did not serve to diminish India's Powerplay strength. Forty-four from the first five overs was a fine start from Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan,
A greasy night following considerable rain in Melbourne throughout the day was always going to make Lyon's night challenging, and his first T20 over was to be his only one for the night. It was hurt badly by one ball that slipped, a high full toss being called no-ball and the free hit being deposited well over long on by Rohit.
Maxwell was also sent into the stands by Rohit, but he was to claim the wicket of Shikhar when the opener essayed a reverse sweep. That wicket left India 1 for 97 after 11 overs, and they were unable to accelerate full from there.
This had little to do with Kohli, who careered to 59 from 33 balls with some shots of matchless mastery, and more to do with an improved collective effort from the hots at the back end. Rohit lost some of his earlier momentum before being run out looking for a second, and Dhoni was not quite able to free his arms before Tye had him taken at long off as part of a generally impressive last over.
If anything, Tye's quietly assured display is the greatest discovery for Australia in the series so far. Bolstered by Big Bash League exposure, he looks capable of landing his yorkers under international pressure. By the end of the night, Tye was the selectors' only solace - the match and series plaudits were all India's, a feeling they last enjoyed in Australia after the triangular ODI series of early 2008.
3rd T20i
Australia 197/5 (20/20 ov)
India 200/3 (20/20 ov)
India won by 7 wickets
A thrilling chase and a cruel missed chance saw India seal a Twenty20 series sweep over Australia at the SCG, as the more settled side was victorious once again.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli laid the groundwork for India's pursuit before Suresh Raina was able to finish things off with the help of Yuvraj Singh, who looked out of touch before finding his timing at precisely the right moment as the pair took 19 off Andrew Tye's final over of the innings to finish off the win. Victory also lifted India to No.1 in the ICC T20 rankings; they were eighth before the series began.
Raina was fortunate to be there, having escaped a stumping chance second ball. The bowler Cameron Boyce was Australia's outstanding performer on the night, but he was let down by the glove work of Cameron Bancroft, a speculative choice as wicketkeeper for this match in the absence of Matthew Wade.
The error typified Australia's muddled approach to this series, just a month out from the World T20 in India. However they did have the consolation of an outstanding century by the stand-in captain Shane Watson, who showed why he should be indispensable to the team's campaign on the same day his former team-mate Michael Clarke announced he intended to return to cricket after a five-month break.
India's bowling was not particularly strong this night, but their batting strength was demonstrated by Rohit, Kohli and Raina. Vitally, Raina and Yuvraj did not lose their heads under the pressure of the chase - a strong lesson for the Australians given their panicky displays in Adelaide and Melbourne.
In pursuit of 198, India needed a fast start, something Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit were more than capable of providing. Dhawan only lasted nine balls, but in that time clumped 26 runs and made a mess of Shaun Tait. Rohit was a little more circumspect, but helped keep the score ticking over well ahead of the required rate.
Australia were able to pull things back somewhat through the middle overs thanks largely to the bowling of Watson and the legspinner Boyce, who gave the ball teasing flight and loaded it with spin to beat Rohit, Kohli and Raina in the air. Boyce gained two wickets for his effort but should have had a third, when Bancroft missed the stumping chance that a more seasoned keeper might have completed.
After Kohli's exit to Boyce's penultimate ball for another sparkling contribution of 50, Raina and Yuvraj Singh pottered around for a time. As MS Dhoni had done during the 50-over match on this ground a little over a week ago, they allowed the equation to stretch out while finding their bearings, and Tye was left to defend 17 from the final over.
As though rousing from a deep sleep, Yuvraj pounced on Tye's first two balls, flicking over backward square leg to the fence then pounding a six into the heaving crowd at midwicket. That rather simplified the equation for India, and a pair of hustled twos by Raina were followed by an exultant last ball boundary that completed India's clean sweep.
Watson had won the toss on a warm evening and walked out to bat with his Thunder opening partner Usman Khawaja. In the form of his life, Khawaja strolled to 14 from five balls before edging a good one from Ashish Nehra and being dismissed for less than 50 for the first time since last October.
That was something of a shock for the crowd and the Australians, but Watson was soon finding his range with powerful shots struck through and over MS Dhoni's fields. He was given a helping hand by a pair of no-balls from Jaspreet Bumrah in the fourth over, the second from the free-hit he gave up by bowling the first - both were crunched to the cover boundary by Watson.
Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell could not endure in Watson's company, but Travis Head provided common sense support to his captain, who grew in fluency and confidence with every over. A few weeks ago Watson had played similarly well on this ground for the Sydney Thunder against the Sydney Sixers, and this time Watson went on from his typical resting place between 50 and 90 to a maiden T20 international century.
The milestone brought an expansive celebration by Watson on the ground of his adopted home state for several reasons. Not only was it a rare international century for him and a moment to assure his presence in the team for the World T20 in India, the innings was also doubtless a timely one a few days before the IPL auction.
Watson would follow up with some tidy bowling, but as captain he could do little about some of the less illustrious work of others, as India romped home. They will go into the World T20 full of confidence; Australia meanwhile do not look sure where to go.
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