Carrara (Gold Coast), Nov 6 (NationPress) Washington Sundar achieved impressive bowling figures of 3-3, while Axar Patel and Shivam Dube contributed with two wickets each, leading India to a commanding victory over Australia by 48 runs in the fourth T20I at Carrara Oval on Thursday, securing a decisive 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Despite India setting a reasonable score of 167/8 on a pitch with inconsistent bounce, their bowlers dominated the match. Every bowler used claimed at least one wicket, with Sundar, Axar, and Dube being the standout performers.

Australia, who were in a strong position to chase down 168, lost their last nine wickets for a mere 52 runs and failed to recover from the pressure applied by India’s spin trio. From a promising 67/1, Australia ended up bowled out for 119 in just 18.2 overs, placing them in a must-win situation for the final match in Brisbane on Saturday.

Australia commenced their chase with Matthew Short and Mitchell Marsh hitting six boundaries between them. Axar provided the crucial breakthrough for India by dismissing Short lbw after he missed a sweep, and then bowled out Josh Inglish. Marsh seemed to be on track but was dismissed by a slower ball from Dube, getting caught at backward square leg.

Following this, Australia’s middle order crumbled under pressure. Tim David mishit a pull shot off Dube to extra cover, and Josh Philippe was caught at short mid-wicket off Arshdeep Singh. Glenn Maxwell was outfoxed by a googly from Varun Chakaravarthy, which clipped the top of off stump.

Sundar then struck twice in quick succession—trapping Marcus Stoinis lbw and taking a return catch off a soft chip from Xavier Bartlett, marking his 50th T20I wicket. Jasprit Bumrah returned to claim his 99th T20I wicket by casting out Ben Dwarshuis, while Sundar sealed the match by having Adam Zampa caught at long-on.

Earlier, after being put into bat, India set off with a solid 49-run opening partnership, with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill displaying intent and fluency. However, India’s momentum faltered as the top four batsmen failed to convert starts into significant scores. The middle order struggled to form partnerships, slipping from 121/2 to 136/6, allowing Australia to claw back into the game.

Pacer Nathan Ellis, using his characteristic slower deliveries, struck regularly to impede India’s progress and took three wickets, while leg-spinner Adam Zampa applied pressure through the middle overs, securing three scalps as Australia conceded only 46 runs in the final six overs.

India started positively with Abhishek surviving an early chance off Dwarshuis before he and Gill hit eight boundaries. Zampa ended the opening stand by having Abhishek caught at long-on. In a surprising move, India promoted Dube to number three, which raised eyebrows.

After Dube hit a six and a four, Ellis deceived him with a slower ball, resulting in him chopping onto his stumps. Suryakumar Yadav added momentum with a flurry of boundaries, including two sixes off Zampa. Gill appeared composed but failed to accelerate post power-play against the older ball, getting bowled out by a sharp delivery from Ellis.

Bartlett then dismissed Suryakumar with a well-directed delivery that induced a top-edge caught by square leg, while Tilak Varma fell attempting a reverse sweep off Zampa. Jitesh Sharma was trapped lbw by Zampa, who successfully overturned the on-field decision via DRS, while Ellis and Marcus Stoinis eliminated Sundar and Arshdeep, ensuring India finished three runs shy of 170, which was more than sufficient for a commanding victory.

Brief Scores: India 167/8 (Shubman Gill 46, Abhishek Sharma 28; Nathan Ellis 3-21, Adam Zampa 3-45) beat Australia 119 in 18.2 overs (Mitchell Marsh 30, Matthew Short 25; Washington Sundar 3-3, Axar Patel 2-20) by 48 runs