Resilient India eye whitewash against Australia with victory in third T20

Gulf Today Report

India will look to emulate their 2016 feat of whitewashing Australia in the T20 series with a victory in the final match on Tuesday.
India after winning the first two matches of the three-match series have already won the series with one game to spare.

The tourist had done a clean sweep when a MS Dhoni-led Indian team won all three matches to complete the rout.

Hardik Pandya smashed a 22-ball 42 and Shikhar Dhawan 52 off 36 as India defeated Australia  by six wickets in a thrilling clash. India had won the first T20I on Friday by 11 runs at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

“Before the (Sunday) game we said ‘we will look to ride the atmosphere and the support we are going to get from the fans. That energy pushes you through in the tough moments. (Sometimes) You don’t feel pushing too much and then you hear the crowds and people backing you, and you push yourself,’” said skipper Virat Kohli after Sunday’s game.

“The next game is going to be more exciting. We won the series but we still want to be professional and we are going to come out and be fearless,” he added.

Kohli is the first Indian captain to win a series in Australia in all three formats. He had led India to a 2-1 win in the 2018-19 Test series and followed that up with a 2-1 win in the ODI series.

While India had drawn the T20 series on that last tour, they managed to clinch it this time by winning the first two matches.

Dhoni, however, was a failure in Tests. He presided over a 4-0 Test series thrashing India got in Australia in 2011-12. He also lost the ODI series 4-1 in 2015-16. Dhoni also jointly led the Indian side in the 2014-15 series where India lost 2-0.