Maxwell mayhem steers Australia to victory over India

Glenn Maxwell’s blistering century trumped India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 123 as Australia clinched a last-ball victory in an exhilarating third T20 International to remain alive within the five-match sequence on Tuesday.

On a excessive after back-to-back wins in Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram, India appeared eager to clinch the sequence in Guwahati as they racked up 222-3, their third successive 200-plus rating of the sequence, using Gaikwad’s 57-ball blitz.

Maxwell, who bled 30 runs as a bowler in his solely over of the match, had different concepts although.

Three weeks after smashing an unbeaten 201 towards Afghanistan within the 50-overs World Cup, the all-rounder hammered an unbeaten 104 off 48 balls to safe a five-wicket victory for Australia.

Put into bat, India misplaced Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan inside three overs however stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav (39) mixed in a 57-run stand with Gaikwad to arrest the slide.

Suryakumar fell on the halfway stage of the innings however India reached 100 in 12 overs earlier than Gaikwad stepped on gasoline.

The 26-year-old went run-a-ball for his first 21 runs earlier than exploding with the bat.

Gaikwad clobbered seven sixes and 13 fours in what’s the second highest rating by an India batter in a T20 International, behind Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 126 towards New Zealand earlier this yr.

He solid a 141-run partnership off simply 59 balls with Tilak Varma, who made 31 not out. Sixty seven of these runs got here within the final three overs.

Travis Head (35) led Australia’s spirited reply earlier than their high order wilted and the vacationers slumped to 134-5 within the 14th over.

Maxwell turned the match on its head together with his astonishing shotmaking, hitting eight sixes and as many fours.

Needing 21 runs off the final over from Prasidh Krishna, Australia captain Matthew Wade, who made 28 not out, took 5 runs from the primary two balls getting Maxwell on strike.

Maxwell hit the third ball for a six, and adopted it with a hat-trick of fours to seal an exhilarating victory.

India’s sluggish over price meant they may deploy solely 4 fielders within the deep for the ultimate over, which proved pricey in the long run.

The groups transfer to Raipur for the fourth match on Friday, two days earlier than the sequence concludes in Bengaluru.

🏆 Fastest ever CWC century
🇦🇺 Equal quickest Australia Men’s T20I century

Glenn Maxwell has been on 🔥 in India

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— ICC (@ICC) November 29, 2023