India Crushes Australia by 48 Runs, Seals 2-1 Series Lead

India delivered a commanding performance against Australia in the fourth T20I at the Gold Coast, securing a dominant 48-run victory and taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. After posting 167 for 8, India’s spinners orchestrated a remarkable collapse as Australia crumbled from 91 for 4 to 119 all out in 18.2 overs.

Gill’s Solid Contribution Powers India’s Innings

Shubman Gill anchored India’s batting with a composed 46 off 39 balls, providing crucial stability in the middle order. The vice-captain’s knock came after a lean patch, contrasting sharply with scores of 5 and 15 in his previous two outings. Axar Patel provided the final flourish, scoring an unbeaten 21 off 11 balls while batting at number 7. His match-winning performance earned him the Player of the Match award. Patel revealed that batting lower in the order helped him understand the pitch’s challenging conditions, where the ball wasn’t coming on nicely and uneven bounce created difficulties.

Spinners Orchestrate Australian Collapse

India’s spin trio proved devastating in Australia’s chase. Washington Sundar sparked the collapse with an extraordinary spell of 3 for 3 from just 1.2 overs, reducing Australia to a dire position. Axar Patel contributed 2 for 20, while Varun Chakravarthy added 1 for 26. Australia’s 119 marked their second-lowest T20 total at home.

The result sets up a thrilling series finale on Saturday at the Gabba in Brisbane, with India needing one more victory to claim the series.