BENGALURU, India (AP) — Pacers Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh shared five wickets as India beat Australia by six runs in their fifth Twenty20 cricket international on Sunday to win the series 4-1.
Kumar took 3-32 in four overs, while Singh (2-40) overturned an expensive spell with a fine last over of the match as India restricted Australia to 154-8 in reply to 160-8.
Australia skipper Matthew Wade scored a 15-ball 22 to keep his side in the game with 10 runs needed off six deliveries. But left-arm quick Singh held his nerve and dismissed Wade halfway through the 20th over to help India cross the finish line.
Shreyas Iyer hit 53 runs off 37 balls for India.
India already had an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series after it won the fourth game in Raipur by 20 runs. It also won the first two T20s in Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram by two wickets and 44 runs, respectively. Australia’s sole victory came in the third match in Guwahati where the tourists won by five wickets, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s fourth international T20 hundred.
Wade won a fourth consecutive toss Sunday and Australia chose to bowl first.
India openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad added 33 runs for the first wicket before Australia began to dominate.
Jason Behrendorff (2-38) sent back Jaiswal for 21 off 15 balls. Ben Dwarshuis (2-30) dismissed Gaikwad for 10, and also skipper Suryakumar Yadav (5). Hard-hitting Rinku Singh holed out off wrist spinner Tanveer Sangha (1-26) for six runs as India dropped to 55-4 before the halfway stage.
Iyer and Jitesh Sharma added a rapid 42 to provide some stability. Sharma scored 24 off 16 balls, including three fours and a six.
Axar Patel made 31 off 21, putting on another 46 off 33 with Iyer for the sixth wicket and helped India reach a respectable though under-par total on the Bengaluru pitch.
Australia punished Singh’s bowling early on. Travis Head scored an 18-ball 28, with five fours and a six.
Wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi bowled Head in the fifth over even as Australia was scoring at 10 per over.
Bishnoi made it a double blow, sending back Aaron Hardie for six, and returning 2-29 in four overs.
Ben McDermott scored 54 off 36 as Australia rebuilt its innings. He put on 47 off 38 balls with Tim David (17) for the fourth wicket. Australia was well placed at 102-3 in the 14th over when the game turned. David was out caught off Patel, while Singh returned to dismiss McDermott.
From 116-5 in 15 overs, Kumar claimed two wickets in two balls in the 17th over though Wade almost did enough to get the win.
Both sides made one change each. Singh came in for Deepak Chahar for India while Australia selected Nathan Ellis for Chris Green, who made his debut in Raipur.
India entered the series after losing the Cricket World Cup final at home to Australia.
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