Australia vs India, 3rd T20I: Player Ratings

The series decider between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground started off with the Australian skipper Aaron Finch winning the toss and opting to bat first on a pitch that seemed to be on the slower side compared to the previous two matches.

Although Australia started off the right foot by not losing a wicket in the powerplay overs, they were strangled in the middle overs by the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav with the former taking crucial wickets and the latter keeping things tight. Good cameos by Alex Carey, Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile saw Australia cross the 160-mark.

India wreaked havoc on the Australian bowlers as they scored about 40% of the total in the first six overs losing Shikhar Dhawan in the process. India suffered a middle-order crumble similar to Australia as KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant failed to take India across the finishing line.

However, a calm and composed knock by India’s skipper Virat Kohli, aided by the dependable Dinesh Karthik saw India win the match comfortably and thereby leveling the series one all.

Here is how the players fared:

---

Australia

Aaron Finch -3/10

The drought for a big inning from Aaron Finch’s bat continued as he scored 28 off 23 balls after a getting a reprieve as Rohit Sharma failed to hold onto a skier off Krunal Pandya’s bowling. He made questionable bowling decisions that didn't pan out.

D Arcy Short -3/10

Short played a good knock but failed to capitalize on his start and has failed to make a mark as an opener in the series.

Glenn Maxwell -4/10

Again Glenn Maxwell was a disappointment with the bat and failed to back his promotion to number three. However, he had a decent outing with the ball as he kept things tight and picked up the wicket of KL Rahul.

Ben McDermott-1/10

The hero with the bat in the previous match for Australia failed to open his account and was out for a golden duck.

Alex Carey -6/10

Carey played an important cameo in the context of Australia’s attempt to set a decent total. His healthy strike rate of 142.11 helped the cause. He also held onto a dolly to dismiss Rishabh Pant.

Chris Lynn — 2/10

Lynn was pushed down the order, as a result of a failed experiment that saw Maxwell being sent up the order, and he failed to provide the big finish that Australia required.

Marcus Stoinis-4/10

Stoinis played an important cameo with the bat to push Australia’s total to 165. However, his bowling was put under the scanner as he leaked 22 runs in the only over he bowled.

Nathan Coulter-Nile-2/10

Coulter-Nile had a game similar to Stoinis as he helped his side finish with a flourish while also getting carted around the park in the powerplay overs.

Mitchell Starc -6/10

Comeback man Starc looked quite comfortable with the ball and also got the crucial breakthrough that Australia desperately needed as he dismissed Shikhar Dhawan who was on song. He ended up with decent figures of 26/1 in four overs.

Adam Zampa -7/10

Zampa continued to have a good series as he grabbed the wicket of Rohit Sharma and ended up with decent figures of 22 /1 in four overs which included a maiden-wicket over.

Andrew Tye- 3/10

Tye picked up the wicket of Rishabh Pant giving Australia a glimmer of hope in seeking a victory but wasn’t able to stop the flow of runs.

India

Dhawan set the stage on fire yet again

Rohit Sharma - 5/10

Rohit Sharma provided the much required big opening partnership that India needed in chasing but again was exposed as his weakness to leg spin saw him being bowled by Zampa. He also gave Finch a reprieve in the field.

Shikhar Dhawan -8/10

Shikhar Dhawan continued his dominance with the bat and scored a brisk 41 off 22 balls and was chosen as the Player of the series.

Virat Kohli -9/10

India’s skipper was back among the runs as he brought up his 19th T20I half-century with a great display of batting and ensured that he got his side over the line.

KL Rahul -2/10

Sloppy in the field and failing to cement his place in the eleven in T20Is with another poor display with the bat, Rahul is not helping his case for an extended run in the T20 format.

Rishabh Pant-1/10

Another golden duck in the match as Rishabh Pant had a soft dismissal and provided Australia with an opportunity to come back into the game.

Dinesh Karthik -8/10

Dinesh Karthik hasn’t done much wrong in the three-match T20I series other than probably giving Krunal Pandya the strike in the first match. He was one-half of a solid partnership along with Virat Kohli and played some brilliant knocks to finish the match.

Krunal Pandya -8/10

The best match for Krunal Pandya as he ended up having the best figures for a spinner in T20I in Australia after receiving a hammering in the first match, which saw him end up with the worst bowling figures.

Kuldeep Yadav -8/10

Kuldeep continued to be his usual best providing crucial wickets for India, dismissing Finch here. He continued to keep things tight too.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar -5/10

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar had an off day with the ball and struggled to make an impact on a pitch, which was on the slower side.

Khaleel Ahmed -3/10

Khaleel has been given the extended run despite leaking runs. He leaked fewer runs than in the previous two matches but failed to pick up a wicket.

Jasprit Bumrah -4/10

Similar to Bhuvaneshwar, Bumrah too had an off day and failed to come up with the magical balls he usually does. But he did effect a crucial run-out to get rid of Chris Lynn