Rinku Singh’s quickfire 46 and a spin attack led by Axar Patel helped India to a series-clinching 20-run win over Australia in the fourth T20 international on Friday.
India posted 174-9 thanks to Rinku’s 29-ball blitz, despite late strikes by the Australian fast bowlers after the tourists elected to field first in Raipur.
Axar then returned figures of 3-16 with his left-arm spin as the hosts kept Australia to 154-7 to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Photo: AFP
“Other than [the] toss, everything went our way,” India’s Suryakumar Yadav said of the victory in his first series as captain. “Winning was the big boost, especially the way the boys showed character. Everyone expressed themselves irrespective of the situation, and that’s what I told them: ‘Be fearless, play your game and we’ll see what happens.’”
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi struck on his first delivery as he bowled Josh Philippe for eight and finished with figures of 1-17.
Axar struck in his first over to claim opener Travis Head’s wicket, after his 16-ball 31 had given the tourists a quick start.
After derailing the opposition’s chase, the Indian spinner kept up his strikes and sent Ben McDermott and Aaron Hardie back to the pavilion.
Tim David attempted to hit back, but fast bowler Deepak Chahar took the batsman down, getting him caught in the deep on 19.
Chahar claimed another victim in Matthew Short on 22 as the wheels came off the chase, before skipper Matthew Wade hit a valiant 36 not out.
“We want to continue to learn about the players under the established players since the [T20] World Cup is around the corner, so depth around the squad will be key,” Wade said.
Earlier, the left-handed Rinku put on key partnerships, including a 56-run fifth-wicket stand with Jitesh Sharma, who hit a 19-ball 35.
Ben Dwarshuis took two wickets in the 19th over and fellow left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff also struck twice in the next over to deny Rinku his 50 and check India’s surge.
Hardie began with a maiden over and in his second over cut short Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brisk knock of 37 off 28 balls, after the left-hander mistimed a pull to get caught at mid-on.
Leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha sent back Shreyas Iyer for eight and Dwarshuis made the hosts slip to 63-3 when he got Suryakumar caught behind for one.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made 32,m and Rinku put on a quick 48-run stand, which was eventually broken by Sangha.
Australia were without their one-day international World Cup stars, including Glenn Maxwell, who hit a match-winning 104 not out in match three, and Marcus Stoinis.
Head remains the only player from the World Cup-winning team in the Australian side.
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said