Hobart [Australia], November 2 : Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch praised Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar's impactful innings, which powered India to secure a five-wicket win over Australia in the third T20I at Hobart on Sunday.
Finch believed Washington was outstanding and delivered exactly what India needed, and his arrival at the crease took the pressure off Tilak Varma.
Sundar's explosive 49* in just 23 combined with a blitz from Tilak Varma's helped India chase down 187 runs to level the series against Australia. With this win, the series is levelled at 1-1, with two matches left.
"Washington was outstanding and delivered exactly what India needed at that moment. His arrival at the crease took the pressure off the set batsman Tilak Varma, which is vital in T20 cricket. He played confidently on both sides of the wicket and responded well to short-pitched deliveries. It was an excellent innings from a top performer," Aaron Finch said on Jio Hotstar.
Varma slammed a vital 29 runs off 26 balls to take India home. He added 35 runs with Axar Patel and 34 runs with Sundar to stabilise India's innings in the back end.
Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. After powerplay heroics from pacer Arshdeep Singh (3/35), it was a partnership between skipper Mitch Marsh (11) and Tim David (74 in 38 balls, with eight fours and five sixes) of 59 runs for third wicket and a 64-run stand between Marcus Stoinis (64 in 39 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) and Matt Short (26* in 15 balls, with two fours and a six) took Australia to 186/6 in 20 overs.
In the run-chase, contributions did come from Abhishek Sharma (25 in 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes), skipper Suryakumar Yadav (24 in 11 balls, with a four and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (29 in 26 balls, with a four and six).
India was 145/5 in the 15th over in a tricky spot. However, a blitz from Washington (49* in 23 balls, with three fours and four sixes) and Jitesh Sharma (22* in 13 balls, with three fours) helped India keep the series alive.
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