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IND vs AUS 2023 | Maxwell Overpowers Gaikwad Ton In Stunning AUS Heist At Guwahati

image-lpimjaxlGlenn Maxwell in action against India in third T20I (x.com)

Brief Scores: India: 222-3 (20 overs) [Ruturaj Gaikwad: 123* (57), Suryakumar Yadav: 39 (29); Jason Behrendorff 1/12 (4), Kane Richardson 1/34 (3)] lost to Australia: 225-5 (20 overs) [Glenn Maxwell: 104* (48), Travis Head: 35 (18); Ravi Bishnoi 2/32 (4), Avesh Khan 1/37 (4)] by five wickets.

Australia reduced their 2-0 deficit against India with a remarkable run-chase heist in the third T20I at Guwahati’s Assam Cricket Association Stadium.

Gaikwad storms takes India to 222

Overcoming India’s top-order jitters after being put into bat first, Ruturaj Gaikwad formed belligerent counterattacking stands with interim skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma after losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan early in the innings.

While Jaiswal nicked one behind off Australia’s T20 veteran Jason Behrendorff for just six, Kishan became the casualty of his own doing after his mistimed slap fell straight to covers to hand Kane Richardson his only wicket of the evening.

Gaikwad, on the other hand, tonked his second half-century in succession, and converted it into his career-best T20I score by notching up his maiden ton in the format. The dashing opening batsman clobbered seven sixes in his innings, including three off a single Aaron Hardie over to race to 123* from just 57 balls.

Captain Suryakumar and young Varma also listed sparkling 30s from their ends as Team India blazed their way towards a colossal 222-3 from their 20 overs.

Remarkably, Behrendorff conceded just 12 runs from his four overs to emerge as the standout bowler of the high-scoring innings.

Glenn Maxwell unfurls T20I chase for the ages

Up against a big run-chase task, Australian opener Travis Head laid out a perfect platform for his side with an attacking 18-ball 35 at the top. The dashing opener had his innings curtailed by Avesh Khan at the brink of the powerplay, allowing Glenn Maxwell to step into the crease at a time when Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis were already back in the sheds at 68-3.

Employing tactical approach, Maxwell unleashed boundaries at will during his counterattacking stand with silent partner Marcus Stoinis, who failed to get beyond his painful 21-ball 17. Meanwhile, hosts spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel both came up clutch in the middle overs to tower over the visitors at one stage.

Requiring 78 runs from final 30 balls, and 43 from the final two overs, Maxwell’s belligerent hitting eventually brought down the equation to 16 from four deliveries. With series on the line, the ‘Big Show’ clubbed struggling Indian speedster Prasidh Krishna with four match-winning boundaries to seal the game for his side in the last ball of the match.

Maxwell himself finished at an unbeaten 104 from just 48 balls, while his skipper Matthew Wade crafted crucial death-overs runs with his 16-ball 28*.

Still trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, Australia will now face hosts India on December 1 at Rajpur’s Nava Raipur International Cricket Stadium.