Ind vs Aus, 3rd T20I: Treated it as 4-match series after 2nd ODI, reveals Hardik
Dec 08, 2020
Sydney [Australia], December 8 : India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has revealed that after losing the second ODI, the team decided that they will treat the remaining white-ball fixtures as a four-match series with an aim to win three out of those four games.
India suffered defeats in the first two ODIs but made a comeback in the third ODI, securing a 13-run win over the hosts. India maintained their winning form in the T20I series as well as they went on to win the first two T20Is. But the Aaron Finch-led side avoided a series whitewash by winning the third T20I here on Tuesday.
Although India lost the third T20I, Pandya, who was adjudged Player of the Series, said he was happy to have achieved what they had aspired to.
"I'm quite pleased. I felt it was a team effort not an individual one. We all decided after the 2nd ODI that we'll treat this as a four-match series now and we were hoping that we would win 3 out of 4 and that's what we got. I think I should head back home and spend some quality time with my family. I haven't seen them for four months. Maybe in the future (for Test cricket), I don't know, maybe," Pandya said after the game.
During the match, Australia managed to put 186 runs on the board with the help of Matthew Wade (80) and Glenn Maxwell's (54) sublime innings. India captain Virat Kohli played a knock of 85 runs during the chase, but it was not enough for India to get over the line.
Also, it was Mitchell Swepson's performance that derailed India's chase as the bowler picked three wickets in the match from his four overs while giving away just 23 runs. Swepson also won the Player of the Match award for his impressive show.
After guiding his team to the victory, Swepson said: "It was obviously really nice to get some wickets through the middle there. It was nice to have an impact and a good way to finish on a win like that. You want to challenge yourself against the best and these guys have proven they are the best T20 side in the world at the moment. A great challenge and I loved every minute of it out there."
