India bounced back strongly in the third T20I against Australia in Hobart, clinching a five-wicket victory to level the series. Making three changes to the playing XI, the visitors saw all of them make an impact — with Arshdeep Singh shining with the ball, and Washington Sundar and Jitesh Sharma finishing the chase in style.
Australia’s Explosive Start and Arshdeep’s Control
After opting to bowl first, India struck early through Arshdeep Singh, who dismissed Travis Head in the opening over. The left-arm seamer continued his fine form by removing Josh Inglis in his next, leaving Australia reeling at 21 for 2.
Tim David, coming in at No. 4, counterattacked with authority. He smashed Jasprit Bumrah for a boundary and went after Varun Chakaravarthy with a four and a six. Despite a dropped catch by Washington Sundar, David continued his assault, launching Axar Patel for two sixes in the seventh over and following up with a flurry of boundaries off Shivam Dube to reach his half-century in just 23 balls.
Australia, however, stumbled when Varun dismissed captain Mitchell Marsh and Mitch Owen off successive deliveries. Marcus Stoinis provided stability, striking powerful fours and sixes to keep the scoreboard moving. The David-Stoinis partnership of 45 runs gave Australia momentum before David fell for a blistering 74 off 38 balls. Stoinis continued his onslaught, registering a 32-ball fifty with three fours in one Arshdeep over.
Despite late acceleration, India’s disciplined death bowling — particularly from Bumrah and Arshdeep — restricted Australia to 186 for 6 in 20 overs. Arshdeep finished with 3 for 35, while Varun Chakaravarthy chipped in with 2 for 33.
India’s Confident Chase Led by Washington and Jitesh
Chasing 187, India got off to a flying start thanks to Abhishek Sharma, who hit Xavier Bartlett for a six over point and punished Sean Abbott with two fours and a six in the second over. Bartlett responded with a tighter spell and later took a sharp catch to dismiss Abhishek for 25 off 16.
Suryakumar Yadav, batting aggressively, struck sixes off Ellis and Abbott, while Shubman Gill’s short stay ended with an LBW dismissal for 15. India wrapped up the powerplay at a healthy 64 for 2.
Suryakumar’s cameo ended on 24, but Tilak Varma and Axar Patel carried the innings forward with positive intent. Ellis continued to impress, dismissing Axar for 17 to claim his third wicket.
Then came Washington Sundar — replacing Kuldeep Yadav — who turned the tide. He announced his arrival with a six off Ellis and a four off Kuhnemann before taking on Abbott with two sixes and a four in the 14th over. Tilak fell for 29, but Jitesh Sharma, another inclusion in place of Sanju Samson, supported Sundar superbly.
With 35 needed off the last five overs, Jitesh innovated with a clever scoop off Ellis, and Washington kept the scoreboard ticking with composed aggression. Stoinis tipped one over the boundary for six, and despite a dropped catch by Mitch Owen, Jitesh finished the chase with a boundary off Abbott. Washington remained unbeaten on 49 off 23 balls, while Jitesh contributed 22* off 13 as India sealed the win with nine balls to spare.
Match Summary:
Australia: 186/6 (20 overs)
Tim David 74 (38), Marcus Stoinis 64 (39); Arshdeep Singh 3-35, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-33
India: 188/5 (18.3 overs)
Washington Sundar 49 (23), Tilak Varma 29 (20); Nathan Ellis 3-36*
Result: India won by 5 wickets
Series: Level at 1–1
India’s all-round performance, marked by smart bowling changes and a composed chase, has set up a thrilling finale for the remaining matches in the series.
