India Achieves Historic 14th Consecutive Home T20I Series Win with Victory Over Australia

Raipur, 1st December 2023: The 4th T20I between India and Australia in the ongoing 5-match T20I series happened at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur. India leads the series 2-1 after three matches, with Australia winning the last match in a thrilling last-ball encounter. This series has exceeded expectations in terms of entertainment.

Indian team aimed for a historic 14th consecutive home T20I series win, maintaining an unbeaten streak of 13 so far. The last home series loss was in 2019 against Australia, where the Aussies secured a 2-0 victory. India won this match by 20 runs, securing the 5-match T20I series. Before the match, there was controversy as reports surfaced about no electricity at the stadium hosting the India vs. Australia T20 today due to unpaid bills, but the issue was resolved.

Led by Matthew Wade, Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first, making five changes. India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, expressed a desire to bowl first due to the dew factor and announced four changes in the squad. Shreyas Iyer returned for India, replacing Ishan Kishan, and Jitesh Sharma is set to play his fourth T20I.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the innings for India, with Ruturaj scoring a century in the last match and a half-century in the match before that. India started cautiously, gaining momentum after a couple of overs, especially with Jaiswal adopting an aggressive approach. However, just before the end of the batting powerplay, Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed, caught by Ben McDermott off Aaron Hardie’s bowling, scoring 37 off 28 balls.

Shreyas Iyer came in after Jaiswal’s dismissal. India reached the 50-run mark in the 6th over, scoring 50 in the powerplay overs, losing one wicket, with a run rate of 8.33. Shreyas Iyer failed to make an impact on his return, scoring 8 runs in 7 balls before being caught easily by Chris Green, off Tanveer Sangha’s bowling.

Interim captain Suryakumar Yadav came in but couldn’t impress and departed early, caught behind by Matthew Wade off Ben Dwarshius’ delivery, scoring only 1 run off 2 balls. Rinku Singh came in after Suryakumar’s dismissal. In the first 10 overs, India managed to score only 79 runs at a run rate of 7.9. India reached the 100-run mark in the 13th over, with Ruturaj and Rinku looking in good touch.

However, Ruturaj’s innings fell short when he was caught by Ben Dwarshius off Tanveer Sangha’s delivery, scoring 32 off 28 balls. Jitesh Sharma walked in after Ruturaj’s dismissal. Rinku and Jitesh built a good partnership, shifting the momentum in India’s favour. India reached the 150-run mark in the 18th over, with Jitesh Sharma and Rinku Singh achieving a much-needed 50-run partnership in just 26 balls.

Jitesh Sharma was dismissed for 35 in 19 balls, caught by Travis Head off Ben Dwarshius’ delivery. Axar Patel came in but was dismissed for a golden duck, caught by Tanveer Sangha off Ben Dwarshius’ bowling. Deepak Chahar came to bat, but Rinku Singh was also dismissed for 46 runs in 29 balls, lbw on Jason Behrendorff’s delivery.

Ravi Bishnoi came in to bat after Rinku’s dismissal. Deepak Chahar was also dismissed for 0 runs, caught by Chris Green on Jason Behrendorff’s delivery. Avesh Khan came in after Chahar’s dismissal. In the last ball of the innings, Ravi Bishnoi was run out by Josh Philippe, scoring 4 runs in 3 balls. At the end of the allotted 20 overs, India managed to score 174 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. This is the first time in this series that India hasn’t managed to pass the 200-run mark.

In the Australian bowling department, Ben Dwarshuis was the standout performer, securing 3 wickets in his 4 overs while conceding 40 runs. Jason Behrendorff and Tanveer Sangha also made significant contributions, each taking 2 crucial wickets, and providing effective support to Dwarshuis. Aaron Hardie chipped in with one wicket, adding to the team’s bowling success.

Travis Head and Josh Philippe formed the opening pair for Australia in pursuit of the modest target of 175. Australia initiated their chase aggressively, accumulating 40 runs in just 3 overs, with Travis Head leading the charge. However, the struggling Josh Philippe was bowled out by Ravi Bishnoi for 8 runs in 7 balls. Following Philippe’s dismissal, Ben McDermott entered the crease. However, in the next over, Travis Head was caught by Mukesh Kumar on Axar Patel’s delivery, scoring 31 runs in 16 balls.

Aaron Hardie came in after Head’s departure, but he too was bowled out by Axar Patel for 8 runs in 9 balls while attempting to settle. Tim David joined the innings after Hardie’s dismissal. Australia faced challenges in scoring runs due to the loss of wickets, managing only 76 runs in the first 10 overs. Just as McDermott seemed settled, he was bowled out by Axar Patel for 19 runs in 22 balls.

Matt Short entered the game after McDermott’s exit. Tim David failed to make an impact and was caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal on Deepak Chahar’s delivery, scoring 19 runs in 20 balls. Interim captain Matthew Wade joined the innings after David’s dismissal. With 58 runs required off the last 24 balls, Australia needed to adopt an aggressive approach. However, Matt Short’s dismissal for 22 runs in 19 balls, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal on Deepak Chahar’s delivery, added to the pressure.

Ben Dwarshuis was the next batsman, but he failed to create an impact and was bowled out by Avesh Khan for 1 run in 2 balls. Chris Green followed Dwarshuis’s dismissal. With 40 runs needed in the last 12 balls and recognized batsmen, including hard-hitter Matthew Wade still at the crease, Australia faced a challenging task. Wade’s failure to accelerate made the task even more difficult, requiring an unrealistic 31 runs in the last over. The first two balls of the last over resulted in dots, sealing India’s victory. Matthew Wade remained unbeaten with 36 runs off 23 balls, and Chris Green scored 2 runs not out in 3 balls. At the end of the allotted 20 overs, Australia scored 154 runs, losing 7 wickets, resulting in India winning the match by 20 runs.

From the Indian bowling department, Axar Patel showcased an exceptional performance, claiming 3 wickets in his 4 overs while conceding just 16 runs. Deepak Chahar contributed with 2 wickets, while Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan secured 1 wicket each.

As Australia concluded their 20 overs, scoring 154 runs and losing 7 wickets, they fell short of the target. India emerged victorious in this match by 20 runs, securing a lead of 3-1 in the 5-match T20I series. India has now clinched a historic 14th consecutive home T20I series win. The next match is scheduled for December 3rd, Sunday, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.