Carrara (Gold Coast), Nov 6 (NationPress) Washington Sundar showcased extraordinary bowling figures of 3-3, while Axar Patel and Shivam Dube each claimed two wickets as India delivered a dominant bowling display to triumph over Australia by 48 runs in the fourth T20I at Carrara Oval on Thursday, securing a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Although India managed a modest score of 167/8 on a track with uneven bounce, their bowlers decisively shifted the match in their favor. Each of the six bowlers utilized took at least one wicket, with Sundar, Axar, and Dube emerging as the standout performers.

Australia, originally in a strong position to chase down 168, crumbled dramatically, losing their last nine wickets for a mere 52 runs, unable to recover from the grip of India’s spin trio. From a promising 67/1, Australia was ultimately bowled out for 119 in 18.2 overs and now faces a must-win situation in the final game in Brisbane on Saturday.

The Australian innings began with Matthew Short and Mitchell Marsh hitting six boundaries between them. Axar provided India with a crucial breakthrough by trapping Short lbw after he missed a sweep shot and later returned to dismiss Josh Inglis. Marsh appeared to be in good form but was dismissed by a slower delivery from Dube, caught at backward square leg.

Following this, Australia’s middle order faltered under pressure. Tim David misplayed a pull shot off Dube, resulting in a catch to extra cover. Josh Philippe was quickly dismissed, caught at short mid-wicket off Arshdeep Singh. Glenn Maxwell fell victim to a googly from Varun Chakaravarthy that clipped the top of off stump.

Sundar then struck twice in quick succession, trapping Marcus Stoinis lbw and taking a return catch off a simple chip from Xavier Bartlett, marking his 50th T20I wicket. Jasprit Bumrah made his mark by claiming his 99th T20I wicket by bowling Ben Dwarshuis, while Sundar sealed the win by having Adam Zampa caught at long-on.

Earlier, after being put in to bat, India achieved a promising 49-run opening partnership, with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill displaying intent and fluency. However, India’s momentum faltered as the top four batters failed to convert starts into significant contributions. The middle order struggled to build partnerships, slipping from 121/2 to 136/6, which allowed Australia to regain control of the match.

Pacer Nathan Ellis, leveraging his signature slower deliveries, struck at regular intervals to thwart India’s progress, claiming three wickets, while leg-spinner Adam Zampa exerted pressure through the middle overs with his variations, also bagging three wickets, as Australia conceded only 46 runs in the last six overs.

India started strongly, with Abhishek surviving an early opportunity off Dwarshuis, before he and Gill struck eight boundaries between them. Zampa broke the opening stand by dismissing Abhishek, who holed out to long-on. In a surprising move, Dube was promoted to number three, raising eyebrows.

After Dube hit a six and a four, he fell victim to a slower ball from Ellis, chopping onto his stumps. Suryakumar Yadav added momentum with a series of boundaries, including two sixes off Zampa. Gill remained composed but struggled to accelerate post power-play against the older ball, eventually being bowled by a sharp delivery from Ellis.

Bartlett then dismissed Suryakumar with a well-placed 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 took out Sundar and Arshdeep, ensuring India finished just three runs short of 170, which proved more than sufficient for a comprehensive 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