India, Nov 7 : India captain Suryakumar Yadav, known for his composed demeanour on the field, had a rare moment of frustration during the fourth T20I against Australia at Carrara Oval in Queensland. Despite the brief altercation, India registered a commanding 48-run victory, taking a 2-1 lead in the five match series.
The incident occurred on the final delivery of the 12th over in Australia’s chase of 168. Shivam Dube, who had just dismissed Tim David and bowled two tight deliveries to new batter Marcus Stoinis, lost control with a short and wide ball. Stoinis seized the chance, cutting it over backward point for four runs. A visibly angry Suryakumar Yadav was seen shouting in frustration at Dube, expressing his disappointment at the lapse in discipline during a crucial phase of the game.
India, however, quickly regained control. Washington Sundar triggered a dramatic Australian collapse, taking three wickets in five balls, as the hosts slumped from 91 for 4 to 119 all out in 18.2 overs their second-lowest T20 total at home, behind only the 111 against New Zealand in 2022.
The spinners were instrumental in India’s win, combining for six wickets. Sundar finished with 3 for 3 in just 1.2 overs, while Axar Patel (2/20) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/26) kept the pressure on throughout. Axar’s all round show earned him the Player of the Match award after his unbeaten 21 off 11 balls helped India reach a competitive 167 for 8 earlier in the innings.
“Batting at No. 7 gave me time to assess the pitch. The bounce was uneven, and the ball wasn’t coming on, so I focused on staying straight and contributing to the team’s plan,” Axar said after the match.
Earlier, Shubman Gill top-scored with a fluent 46 off 39 balls, while Adam Zampa was Australia’s standout bowler with 3 for 45.
India will look to seal the series when the teams meet for the final T20I in Brisbane on Saturday.