Despite half-centuries from Tim David and Marcus Stoinis, Australia could not secure victory. In a thrilling finish, Washington Sundar led India to a 5-wicket win over the hosts, leveling the series.
On Sunday, in the third T20 of the series held in Hobart, India successfully chased the target of 187 runs with 9 balls to spare. With this win, the five-match series is now tied 1-1. The first match of the series was washed out due to rain, and Australia had won the second match by 4 wickets.
Almost every Indian batter contributed in the chase. Abhishek Sharma scored 25, Shubman Gill 15, Suryakumar Yadav 24, and Tilak Varma 29, building a strong foundation. After losing the fifth wicket at 145, Washington Sundar and Jitesh Sharma secured the win with an unbroken partnership. Sundar remained unbeaten with a destructive 49 off 23 balls, hitting 3 fours and 4 sixes. Jitesh remained unbeaten on 22 off 13 balls. For Australia, Nathan Ellis took 3 wickets.
Earlier, after losing the toss and batting first, Australia lost 2 wickets for just 14 runs due to the fiery spell of Arshdeep Singh. Mitchell Marsh also fell cheaply for 11. However, Tim David and Marcus Stoinis staged a counterattack. David scored 74 off 38 balls, and Stoinis made 64 off 39 balls, helping Australia post a fighting total of 186.
For India, Arshdeep Singh took 3 wickets for 35 runs, and Varun Chakravarthy took 2 wickets for 33 runs. The fourth match of the series will be played on Thursday in Gold Coast.