GUWAHATI: Ruturaj Gaikwad's maiden ton went in vain as Glenn Maxwell hammered a sizzling century to guide Australia to a thrilling win over India in the 3rd T20 International in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Chasing a record target of 223, Australia won the match in the final ball as Maxwll smashed Prasidh Krishna for a boundary. Aussies needed 21 runs from the last over. Maxwell, who scored his 4th T20I ton in just 47 balls, hit 6,4,4,4 in last four balls. He remained unbeaten at 104 from 48 balls with 8 fours and 8 sixes. He added 91 runs from 39 balls with captain Matthew Wade for the unbeaten sixth wicket. Wade scored 28 runs from 16 while opener Travis Head added 35 runs from 18 balls.
Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad displayed brute power and wonderful technique in equal measure with a maiden hundred that propelled India to a commanding 222 for 3.
Gaikwad slammed a career-best 123 not out off just 57 balls with 13 fours and seven sixes, a first ton by an Indian batter against Australia in T20 Internationals.
The 30 runs that Gaikwad took off Glenn Maxwell in the 20th over could prove to be a game-changer. Skipper Matthew Wade's decision to give a part-time off-spinner 20th over of the innings backfired big-time.
On a wicket that had some extra bounce and swing, India had a shaky start losing their both their in-form batters Yashasvi Jaiswal (6) and Ishan Kishan (0) cheaply after Matthew Wade opted to bowl to make use of the dewy conditions.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav (39; 29b) looked set for a big knock with two sixes and five boundaries before debutant pacer Aaron Hardie dismissed him with a short ball just after the halfway mark.
With run-rate not an issue -- eight per over -- they needed someone to anchor their innings, and the Indian vice-captain Gaikwad played the role to perfection.
Once he got his first 50 off 32 balls, he then went berserk, taking another 20 to bring up his maiden triple digit score in the last over of Maxwell.
Gaikwad muscled Maxwell over wide long to to bring up his century with a six as he smashed two more in the same over that yielded 30 runs as India amassed 200-plus totals in each of the three T20Is so far. Agencies
: SCOREBOARD :
INDIA:
Yashasvi Jaiswal c Wade b Behrendorff 6
Ruturaj Gaikwad not out 123
Ishan Kishan c Stoinis b Richardson 0
*Suryakumar Yadav c Wade b Hardie 39
Tilak Varma not out 31 Extras: 21; Total: 222-3 (20)
FOW:Jaiswal (14-1, 1.2), Kishan (24-2, 2.3), *Suryakumar (81-3, 10.2)
Bowling:
Kane Richardson 3 0 34 1
Jason Behrendorff 4 1 12 1
Nathan Ellis 4 0 36 0
Tanveer Sangha 4 0 42 0
Aaron Hardie 4 0 64 1
Glenn Maxwell 1 0 30 0
AUSTRALIA:
Travis Head c Bishnoi b Khan 35
Aaron Hardie c Kishan b Singh 16
Josh Inglis b Bishnoi 10
Glenn Maxwell not out 104
Marcus Stoinis c Yadav b Patel 17
Tim David c Yadav b Bishnoi 0
*Matthew Wade not out 28
Extras: 15; Total: 225-5 (20)
FOW:Hardie (47-1, 4.2), Head (66-2, 5.4), Inglis (68-3, 6.2), Stoinis (128-4, 13), Tim David (134-5, 13.3)
Bowling
Arshdeep Singh 4 0 44 1
Prasidh Krishna 4 0 68 0
Ravi Bishnoi 4 0 32 2
Avesh Khan 4 0 37 1
Axar Patel 4 0 37 1
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