India sealed the three-match T20I series against Australia at the SCG on Sunday with a game left to be played on Tuesday (December 8).
Hard-hitting lower-order batsman Hardik Pandya (42 not out off 22 balls) finished what left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan had set out for India to achieve with a scintillating 36-ball 52 in the second T20I.
The Men in Blue thus avenged their 1-2 ODI series loss, chasing down a challenging 195-run target set by the Aussies. India had won the first T20I at Manuka Oval by 11 runs on Friday night.
With his team needing 25 off the last two overs, Pandya brought the equation down to 14 in the final six balls. The 27-year-old then hit two sixes to seal the match and series for his side.
Here’s the video:
THAT'S how you win a series!
Hardik Pandya is a monster 🤯
With his magic bat he sends one high into the stands 💥
Scenes 😍 pic.twitter.com/efiPWH7mdp
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) December 6, 2020
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, stand-in skipper Matthew Wade led from the front with a 32-ball 58 and guided Australia to an impressive total. The hosts accumulated 62 runs in their last five overs.
For India, left-arm pacer T Natarajan was the pick of the bowlers with fine figures of 2 for 20.
“It was good fun [to be captain], a lot more fun till Hardik came out. I think we might have been a little short – not a lot, but then it doesn’t matter when Hardik is in [this sort of form],” the losing captain Wade said after the match.
