India has officially clinched the five-match T20 International series against Australia with a 2-1 victory after the fifth and final game was abandoned due to rain and thunderstorms at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday. The series ended on an anti-climax, with the match called off after only 4.5 overs of play. This secured the series for India, who had bounced back from a 0-1 deficit to win the third and fourth matches by five wickets and 48 runs, respectively, after the first T20I was also washed out.
Put in to bat after Australia won the toss, India made a blazing start, cruising to 52 for no loss before lightning and then heavy rain forced the players off the field. Openers Abhishek Sharma, 23 not out off 13 balls, and Shubman Gill, 29 not out off 16 balls, went on the offensive immediately. Gill took a special liking to left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis, cracking three boundaries in one over. Sharma, however, led a charmed life, being dropped twice by Glenn Maxwell and Dwarshuis before hitting an elegant, flat six.
The series victory was underpinned by the form of young opener Abhishek Sharma, who was deservedly named the Player of the Series. Sharma finished with 163 runs in five outings (including two washouts). The 25-year-old left-hander credited his preparation and the team management for his success, stating, "The captain and coach have given me the clarity and confidence to just go and express myself... the clarity to set the momentum for the team has really helped me."
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav praised his team's effort in coming back from a deficit: “The way everyone chipped in and the way we came back from 0-1 down, credit to all the boys. It was a good series with bat, ball and in the field as well.” Yadav was particularly impressed with his bowling resources, the combination' of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, and the consistency of spinners Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy. Australia captain Mitchell Marsh also congratulated them, saying, "India obviously won the games when it mattered; congratulations to them."
The series provided both teams with important learnings ahead of the T20 World Cup next year. Marsh hinted at his confidence in taking the captaincy role into the tournament, while Yadav noted that the upcoming tough series against strong opponents would serve as an ideal build-up for India’s title defense. India will head home with some compensation, securing the T20 series after Australia had won the preceding ODI series 2-1.
