IND v AUS 2020, 3rd T20I: Australia Player Ratings
In a game of several ebbs and flows, both sides had something to cheer about at the end. For the Indian cricket team, it was yet another T20I series win, whereas the Australian cricket team managed to prevent a second whitewash on home soil.
On a familiar Sydney wicket, Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell starred with the bat to help the hosts set India a target of 187. In the chase, it was broadly a one-man show from Virat Kohli as his 85 nearly sealed the deal. Mitchell Swepson was the pick of the bowlers with a three-fer.
There were many positives for the Aussies in this game. However, the pacers still looked vulnerable and the Kangaroos would be worried about their reserves in this department.
Here are the Australian Player Ratings from the final T20I against India.
IND v AUS 2020, 3rd T20I: Australia's Player Ratings
Aaron Finch: 1/10
The Australian skipper couldn't quite impress on his comeback to the team after injury, as he was dismissed for a duck. It was his opening partner and vice-captain Wade who looked more in charge with the bat. Finch did make some smart bowling plans that worked well against India.
Matthew Wade: 8.5/10
Continuing from where he left off in the previous game, Wade looked in good touch once again. His 80 off 53 made the Indians desperate for ways to end his innings, which Shardul Thakur was able to do late in the piece.
Steve Smith: 5/10
Australia's best batsman in the longer formats of the game, Smith struggled to put pressure on India. He survived a stumping reprieve only to fall trying to attack Washington Sundar a few balls later. In the field, he dropped Virat Kohli very early on, but made up for it with a jumping save at the boundary.
Glenn Maxwell: 8.5/10
After having a poor start to the T20I series by his standards, Maxwell came to the party in this game. Given multiple reprieves, he went on to score a game-turning 54 off 36 which ensured Australia reached a tall score. With the ball, he dismissed the dangerous KL Rahul and sent down three quiet overs for 20 runs.
Moises Henriques: 5/10
Without having much of a role to play, Henriques managed five off the two balls he faced at the death. He contributed towards Australia finishing well, and wasn't needed with the ball.
D'Arcy Short: 5/10
Short too played a mini-innings, and did well after Maxwell's dismissal to put runs on the board. In a bizarre demotion from the opener's role to No. 6, Short did manage to improve on his series strike rate in his brief knock.
Daniel Sams: 3/10
A boundary from his two balls with the bat meant Sams had a small contribution in putting the total out of India's reach. With the ball, he was disastrous, as he was taken for 29 off his two overs and needed to be filled in for. The left-armer took an excellent catch to dismiss Kohli, but shelled one off the final ball of the innings.
Sean Abbott: 1.5/10
Abbott didn't quite get a chance with the bat, although he may have been hoping for one in an effort to redeem himself. His awful series got worse with a bowling effort of 1/49 in his four overs. He did get a consolation wicket, but even Shardul Thakur took him for runs.
Mitchell Swepson: 9/10
Mitchell Swepson continued to profit off of the Indian batsmen throwing their wickets away on his arrival to the bowling crease. He dismissed Shikhar Dhawan with a long hop and Sanju Samson with a full toss before trapping Shreyas Iyer in front with a full ball. He was also economical, going for just 23 off his four overs.
Andrew Tye: 7/10
Tye's gamut of variations, the slower ones mixed in with stock deliveries, made things difficult for India and Kohli in the middle. He was rewarded for his hard work with the prized scalp of Kohli, as the Indian captain had too much to do.
Adam Zampa: 7.5/10
The ever-consistent Zampa impressed once again, though he didn't complete his quota of overs. His 3 overs went for just 21 runs, and he got the big wicket of Hardik Pandya at the death.