Kohli reigns supreme

Captain Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 61 to steer India to a six-wicket win over Australia in the third Twenty20 international on Sunday, tying the rain-affected three-match series at 1-1.

India produced significant partnerships at both ends of the innings to ease past Australia’s competitive 164-6, reaching 168-4 with two balls to spare.

Shikhar Dhawan (41) and Rohit Sharma

(23) put on 67 from 33 balls for the first wicket then, after Adam Zampa and AJ Tye had helped Australia pull back the run-rate, Kohli closed out the match in an unbroken partnership of 60 from 39 balls with Dinesh Karthik

(22 not out).

Along the way Kohil reached his 19th

Twenty20 international half century from 35 balls, urged on by a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground in which India fans overwhelmingly outnumbered Australians.

Australia won the first match of the series at Brisbane and the second at Melbourne was lost to rain, presenting the home side with the chance on Sunday to achieve its first ever T20 series win over India.

Captain Aaron Finch (28) and D’Arcy Short (33) set a sound platform for Australia, who elected to bat after winning the toss, putting on 68 for the first wicket.

But after conceding 12 runs from his first over, left-armer Krunal Pandya fought back to take 4-36 – the best figures by a spinner in a

T20 international in Australia – and Kuldeep Yadav took 1-19 as India’s spinners dominated on a slow SCG pitch.

The Australian innings did not contain a six and the first of the match came in the fourth over of the India innings when Rohit flicked Nathan Coulter-Nile off his hip and deep into the packed grandstands.