India and Australia are competing in the third T20I at Hobart's Bellerive Oval. With Australia leading the five-match series 1-0, this is a crucial match for India; a loss would end their chances of winning the series. The Men in Blue need a significant resurgence to equalize the contest.
Australia's innings advanced toward the end, thanks to Marcus Stoinis, who reached his fifty by smashing three boundaries off Arshdeep Singh. Earlier, Stoinis survived a close call when a low catch by Rinku Singh was ruled 'not out' after the third umpire confirmed the ball bounced first.
Shivam Dube secured the vital wicket of Tim David, who departed for a stellar 74 off 38 balls after hitting a full delivery flat to Tilak Varma at long-off. Earlier, Matthew Short contributed with a "SIX!" off Abhishek Sharma, which Arshdeep Singh couldn't hold onto at the boundary.
Varun Chakaravarthy delivered a superb over, striking twice for India. He first dismissed Mitchell Marsh (11), caught by Tilak Varma at long-off. On the very next ball, Varun Chakaravarthy bowled Mitchell Owen for a golden duck.
Arshdeep Singh provided India with early breakthroughs. He first removed Head, who mistimed a lofted shot to Suryakumar Yadav at mid-off. Arshdeep Singh later struck again, dismissing Inglis, who miscued a pull shot straight to Axar Patel at deep backward square-leg.
India made three changes for the match, with Marsh and Head also on the sidelines for Australia. The Indian media highlighted that Sanju, Harshit, and Kuldeep were excluded from the Indian lineup. Sanju's omission occurred despite his recent T20I centuries against South Africa and his flexibility in the batting order.
In the third T20I at Hobart on Sunday, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to bowl first after winning the toss against Mitchell Marsh's Australian team, the Indian Express reports. India, seeking to recover from a 125-run collapse in Melbourne, faces pressure on its key batsmen like Yadav, Shubman Gill, and Sanju Samson. The visitors' chances are bolstered by the absence of Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood, who is sitting out the rest of the series to prepare for the Ashes.
India's bowlers started strong, with Arshdeep Singh striking in his first over by removing Travis Head, courtesy of a simple catch by Suryakumar Yadav, according to the Indian Express. Singh later claimed his second wicket, dismissing Jos Inglis. Varun Chakaravarthy also made an impact, taking two wickets; he caught Mitchell Marsh attempting a shot against the breeze and then dismissed Mitchell Owen for a golden duck with a sharp delivery, allowing India to get back into the game, the Indian Express noted.
Despite the wickets, Tim David, who was promoted up the order, launched an aggressive counter-attack, as noted by the Indian Express. David reached a rapid 50 in just 23 deliveries, hitting the ball to all parts of the ground and establishing a 50-run stand with Marsh before his dismissal. David's innings, which included surviving a dropped catch by Washington Sundar, showcased his evolution from a "hitter" to a batsman who can build an innings, potentially securing him a World Cup spot.
The lineups confirmed India bringing in Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, and Washington Sundar, while Australia substituted Sean Abbott for Hazlewood, the Indian Express detailed. The match is being played on a good batting wicket in Hobart, where the crowd is "buzzing" and Australia holds an unbeaten 5-0 record, as per the Indian Express.
At the toss, Mitchell Marsh confirmed the pitch was a "belter" and his team aimed to "post a big total," as cited by the Indian Express. Suryakumar Yadav stated India would "bowl first" and noted three changes. Yadav also commented on the previous match, giving "credit" to Hazlewood for his powerplay bowling: "(on Hazlewood) Absolutely. The way he bowled in the powerplay – if you're four down early, it's very difficult to recover. Credit goes to him, he bowled really well." He also praised Abhishek Sharma, saying "(on Abhishek) He's been doing this for a while now. He knows his game, knows his identity, and it's good he's not changing it – that's what's brought him success. Hopefully, he sticks with it and plays many more knocks like this for us," and commented on the turnaround: "(Quick turnaround for the next game) We need to do the same thing what we did in the first game – bat really well if we're batting first, put nice runs on the board and then come out and defend."
Meanwhile, India's management faced criticism regarding their batting order, reports the Indian Express. Srikkanth called Sanju Samson's promotion to No. 3 a "knee-jerk reaction" and argued, "You are spoiling the balance of the team; forget about the individual. Just because there was some zip in the wicket, you sent Sanju out to bat and he got out immediately." He emphasized the need for a "fixed position" rather than "shuffling the batting order," stating, "I don't understand what they are doing with Sanju Samson. He bats at 5 one game, then suddenly at 4, 6, 7, or 8. And in this match, he bats at 3. That is not fair, you've to give a fixed position. Mentally, only then can a batsman make up his mind. You can't just keep shuffling the batting order. You are spoiling that boy's confidence, which is not fair." Sadagoppan Ramesh echoed this, stating, "India needs to stop playing musical chairs with their batting order," and questioned why Samson was sent in at No. 3 when Suryakumar Yadav had succeeded there previously.
