Aussies draw level

Guwahati: Australia rode back into the T20 series with a thumping eight-wicket win over India in the second match to draw the three-game series level at Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Barsapara Stadium here on Tuesday.

After restricting the host to a meagre 118, they notched up the win with eight wickets and 21 balls to spare.The architects of the resounding comeback win were pacer Jason Behrendorff (4/21) and batsmen Moises Henriques (62no) and Travis Head (48no). The last put on 109 runs in 76 balls during the unconquered third wicket partnership after Australia were 13 for two wickets in 2.5 overs.

Earlier, put in to bat after a light drizzle, India were rocked by the pace of Behrendorff, who used the conditions well to send back the duo of Rohit Sharma (8) and skipper Virat Kohli for a duck in the very first over.

Rohit looked good during his brief stay, starting off with two boundaries before an in-swinger from the pacer trapped him plumb in front. One ball later, Kohli found himself cramped for room, forcing him to play across the line but only resulted in a caught and bowled dismissal for Behrendorff.

The third over witnessed the dismissal of Manish Pandey (6) before opener Shikhar Dhawan (2) was packed back in the next over by Behrendorff. Tottering at 27/4, Kedar Jadhav (27) and former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (13) joined forces but Australia looked simply unstoppable on the night.

India on the other hand, failed to get going with Dhoni being stumped for the first time in a T20 International after adding 33 runs for the fifth wicket with Jadhav. Towards the end, a few miscued hits from Kuldeep Yadav (16) and Jasprit Bumrah (7) helped the hosts get to the three-figure mark.

Brief Scores: India 118 (Kedar Jadhav 27, Hardik Pandya 25, Kuldeep Yadav 16; Jason Behrendorff 4/21, Adam Zampa 2/19) lost to Australia 122 for two wickets in 15.3 overs (Moises Henriques 62no, Travis Head 48no).