Team India defeated Australia 2-1 in the three-match T20I series. However, the visitors were subjected to a defeat in the final game of the series, which could have ended up in a win if only a few crucial factors had gone in favour of the Indian team.
The first factor if we go in chronological order would be the near dismissal of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell who smashed a game-changing half-century, could have been dismissed cheaply, having handed a catch to wicketkeeper KL Rahul off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Maxwell’s dismissal would also have seen Chahal become India’s leading wicket-taker in the shortest format of international cricket.
However, the Indian spinner’s delivery was ruled as a no-ball, with the all-rounder breathing a sigh of relief. After the big lifeline, Maxwell went on to smash the ball to all corners of the ground, leading Australia to a competitive total of 186/5.
The other two game-changing factors would be the dismissal of Rahul for a duck, as well as the crucial wicket of Team India skipper Virat Kohli when it mattered the most. The opener was dismissed for 0 runs off 2 deliveries, resulting in a massive blow to the visitors who were chasing a sizeable target of 187 runs off 20 overs.
Rahul pulled a half-tracker from Maxwell, straight to Steve Smith at deep midwicket. This caused some early damage to India’s chase, putting them under pressure.
The final game-changing moment was the dismissal of Kohli in the 19th over bowled by Andrew Tye. The 32-year-old attempted to throw his hand at a wide delivery from Tye with the asking rate quite high. However, the connection was certainly not as good as required, with the ball going straight to Daniel Sams at deep point.
Team India could not recover from the dismissal of Kohli and was subjected to defeat by a margin of 12 runs.
