India Take Lead in Series by Defeating Australia by 48 Runs

India moved ahead 2-1 in the series by defeating Australia by 48 runs at the Gold Coast. In the fourth T20 International of the series, India beat Australia by 48 runs to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The key architects of India’s win were Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, and Washington Sundar. Together, they took seven wickets, keeping Australia out of the contest.

India’s batting got off to an average start, but openers Shubman Gill (46 off 39 balls) and Abhishek Sharma (28 off 21 balls) gave the team a good start with a 56-run opening partnership. However, the middle order could not make a big contribution. Shivam Dube scored 22 off 18 balls, while captain Suryakumar Yadav returned for 20 runs off 10 balls. Towards the end, Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 21 and helped the team reach 167 runs.

Australia got off to a good start, with openers Matthew Short (30 off 24 balls) and Mitchell Marsh (25 off 19 balls) providing a solid beginning. But in the middle order, wickets by Axar and Shivam Dube, and Washington Sundar taking three wickets towards the end, ensured they could not recover in the match. Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy also took crucial wickets, including the dismissal of Glenn Maxwell towards the end.

Australia’s pacer Nathan Ellis performed well, taking three wickets, while Adam Zampa also took three wickets.

The final T20 of the five-match series will be played on November 8 in Brisbane. The first match of the series in Canberra was washed out due to rain.