India vs Australia Highlights, 3rd T20: Glenn Maxwell smacks 104* as AUS chase down 223 on the last ball

Suryakumar Yadav: The plan was to get Maxi out as quickly as possible. To defend 220 with so much dew, have to give something to the bowlers. Australia were always in the game. Told the boys we’ll try and get him (Maxwell) out quickly but it didn’t happen, it was insane. Axar is an experienced bowler, thought there’s always a chance for an experienced bowler even if it’s a spinner when there’s dew. Very proud of my boys.

Matthew Wade: You dont get much better than that. It was hard work. Injury to Kane (Richardson) threw a spanner in the works and had to bowl Maxi in the last over. He played brilliantly, got a 100 in his 100th T20I. Wouldnt say I was confident, I was a bit grumpy going in at the halfway mark. Thought we were in the game at 190 after the 19th over but the last over went for 30. Richardson hurt himself so I was one over short. All in good fun in the end, Maxi probably wouldnt have got a 100 if he didnt toss up 30 in that over. The boys are in good spirits, hopefully we can pinch another one in the next game and take it down to the last game.

Jason Behrendorff: "It's remarkable, main thing is we got the win. Don't have too many words at the moment after what just unfolded. It's a happy hunting ground, have played here twice. Haven't gone for too many runs. It swung early on, so I took advantage of the conditions. Want to win the series ideally and we are one step closer to that. We need to take that momentum going forward. I'll give it (Player of the Match) to Maxi, he got us over the line, also it's his 100th T20I game."

Prasidh Krishna has the ball. Big responsibility but he had delivered well in his last over by keeping it down to just the six runs. It'll be enough now. But Matthew Wade on strike starts off well, pulls one over square leg for four. A single off the next ball and it's Maxwell who's back on the strike. He opens the face of his blade to get under the short of a length delivery outside the off stump and it sails all the way over the fence for six. 10 needed off the last three. Krishna bowls a slower one and Maxwell carves one behind square on the off side. Six needed off the last two and Maxwell pummels one down mid wicket to bring his hundred. Two needed off the last ball.

Maxwell in chat with Wade. The Indians have a council with their bowler. In steams Krishna and down the ground goes Maxwell, a four, a win for Australia. And another glorious knock in chase for Glenn Maxwell. What a player! WHAT A PLAYER!

Penultimate over of the innings and wow, India have turned to Axar Patel. Can be some gamble this. Matthew Wade gets in on the act. Steps down the track to nab a couple of boundaries before Axar steps over and concedes a free hit. A heave and it goes all the way over the fence for six. Maxwell on strike for the last ball, goes for the reverse hit but it takes an inside edge and runs down the fine leg boundary for four. 21 needed off the last over.

Prasidh Krishna to bowl the 18th over. And he manages to keep Maxwell at bay. The frustration piles on for Australia's big show! Some good bowling from the right-arm pacer, who takes the pace off and mixes his lengths well. Almost manages to claim Maxwell, who goes for a one-handed shot down the ground but it falls just short of the incoming fielder. Just the six runs come from the over. 180/5 after 18 overs.

Arshdeep Singh returns for his last over. And Maxwell has read him like a book. Back to back sixes. Full and angling on the middle stump, tumble-swept over the long leg fence. Next one, a juicy half volley that's mauled over cow corner for another maximum. 174/5 after 17 overs.

Another over, another Glenn Maxwell boundary. Two, infact. In the slot from the right-hander and Maxwell slices it over backward point for six. Full and wide outside the off stump, slapped through extra cover for four runs. 13 runs come off the over. 158/5 after 16 overs.

Arshdeep Singh pitches a full one outside the off stump and out comes the reverse sweep for six. JEEZ! This is getting all too familiar, isn't it? He is in that Wankhede vs Afghanistan zone tonight. Brings up his half century. Australia, 145/5 after 15 overs.

Ravi Bishnoi strikes again!

Tim David departs for a golden duck. Holes straight to Suryakumar Yadav. Half of the Australian team back in the hut. Maxwell though, continues the assault. Pulls one down fine leg for four. He's in the mood alright. 136/5 after 14 overs.

Axar Patel into his third over. Glenn Maxwell takes to the skies once again. A fractionally full delivery, smacked over cow corner for six. 

Stoinis looks to close the over with another big hit, looking to go over extra cover but Suryakumar Yadav claims him. India break the partnership. Australia go four down. 

Avesh Khan into his third over. Too much width on offer from the right-armer and Marcus Stoinis latches onto it. Slapped through extra cover for four runs. Seven runs from the over. 105 runs needed from the last eight, 118/3 after 12 overs.

Axar Patel continues from the other end. Starts off with a flatter delivery outside the off stump and Maxwell is in position to slap it through the off side for four runs. India need to get him and Stoinis back in the hut early. 223 might not seem that big a total if these two stick around till the end. 111/3 after 11 overs.

With Glenn Maxwell going all guns blazing, Marcus Stoinis was falling behind a bit. Ravi Bishnoi's length ball outside the off stump is exactly what he digs. Pierces the field on the off side to extract his first boundary. Still going under a-run-a-ball but that should get him going. 105/3 after 10 overs.

Axar Patel has been called in to put a halt on the runs. A much needed task for the Indians given the state of the play. The left-arm orthodox manages to keep it down to just the two from the over. Australia very much in this contest with over 100 runs on the board and still another over left in the first half of the innings.

Prasidh Krishna into his second over. Glenn Maxwell takes him to the cleaners. He was peppered for 30 in that last over of the Indian innings. He puts a few of those to the Australian scoreboard off this one. Starts off with a boundary off a short one. Pulled away for four. Then, comes a smoking shot over deep mid wicket for six before Krishna reverts back to the short length and gets clobbered for a four and a six. 23 runs from the over. Australia, 96/3 after eight overs.

Bowled him!

Ravi Bishnoi with a ripper. A googly that comes back in sharply, has the pace on it, and makes a mess of Josh Inglis' middle stump. Out comes the typical celebration. Good over this for India. Just the six runs off it. 73/3 after seven overs.

In the aftermath of the ODI World Cup final, there have been the Avengers: Infinity War parallels drawn. "You should've gone for the head" and all. The player of the match in the WTC Final and the ODI World Cup summit clash had started off all guns blazing tonight as well. But Avesh Khan's short ball does him. India have their main man. 67/2 after six overs.

Arshdeep Singh into his second over. Hardie looks to continue the assault, advances down the pitch and goes for a slash but outside edges it behind to Ishan Kishan. The left-armer's angle comes into play as India get their first wicket. 

No change in the tempo from the Aussies though. Josh Inglis paddles it down fine leg for four off his first ball. Travis Head makes the most of a low full toss to close the over. Fifty up for Australia. 

Fourth over of the innings and India bring in a fourth bowler. Avesh Khan gets off to a brilliant start. Only two runs off his first four balls before Hardie dances down the track to loft one over the infield on the on side for four runs. 46/0 after four overs.

Spin brought into fray early as Ravi Bishnoi comes in to bowl the third over. Gets peppered for a couple of boundaries as Aaron Hardie joins the act. Australia in sync with the required rate. 40 runs on the scoreboard without the loss of any wicket in the first three overs. 

Prasidh Krishna steams in from the other end and Travis Head has only gone and upped the boundary count. Four fours from the second over. This is all too familiar a sight for captain Suryakumar Yadav, who saw Head shoulder Australia to 241 in the ODI World Cup final not that long ago. 25/0 after two overs.

Arshdeep Singh has the new ball for India but look who's on strike for Australia.

Travis Head had been rested for the first couple of games and has been brought into the team in this must win game. And off he goes. Slices one down short third for four to get the innings going. Lofts another over deep extra cover for four. India have barely healed from the scars handed from the southpaw earlier this month. Can he pull off this chase? Nine runs come off the over.

Glenn Maxwell will roll his arms for the last over of the Indian innings. Gaikwad on strike. One hit away from a first century in Indian colors and he smacks a big one. All the way down the ground for six. His first century of the format, and he becomes the first Indian to get a hundred against Australia. What a final over to close the innings as well. 30 runs come off it - the most from a single over in this innings. India post 222/3. 

Nathan Ellis to bowl the penultimate over. Starts off with consecutive wides. Comes back well with just the six runs conceded off the next four deliveries. Tilak Varma picks up a swivel-pull shot to steal a boundary on the penultimate delivery. 12 runs come off the over. Ruturaj Gaikwad will take strike for the last one.

Back-to-back economical overs for Australia. This has to be a big one for India. And Ruturaj Gaikwad is making sure that it is. Aaron Hardie did get the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav earlier but the night's not gotten easier for him. Starts off with a straight ball outside the off stump and Gaikwad slams him down the ground for six. Then, a short one that's thumped over mid wicket for another maximum. Another four and a six come off the over as Gaikwad moves to 95. A whooping 25 runs come off the over. India, 180/3 with two more overs to come.

Jason Behrendorff has been the pick of Aussie bowlers. On he comes to bowl his last over. Tilak Varma - looking to go after the left-armer - is unable to with Behrendorff taking the pace off the ball. 150 comes up for India. Seven runs off the over and an excellent spell comes to an end. 4-1-12-1. After 17 overs, the hosts 155/3.

The Australians have been smacked all over the ground for most part of the innings. Considering how the last few overs have gone by, this is a pretty good effort from Nathan Ellis. He's known for his bowling in the death overs. And he gives away just the five off the 16th over of the innings. One more left in the quota for him. India are 148/3 with four overs left in the innings. 

Oh my my! Ruturaj Gaikwad is on a song here.

Tanveer Sangha into his last over of the night. Swept down deep square for four. Followed by a lofted cover drive that sails all the way over the wide long off fence for six. Another good over for India. 11 runs come off it. 143/3 after 15 overs.

Aaron Hardie with a length ball outside off to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who cuts him neat in front of square on the off side for four. The debutant seems on the backfoot - consecutive wide deliveries follow that boundary. Goes short off the next one and Gaikwad bissects the long on-mid wicket field to pickpocket four more. Fifty up for the Indian opener - his second in a row in this series. He'd gone all guns blazing in Thiruvananthapuram but tonight, he's held himself back and accelerated at the right time. Time to break all shackles from here?

Tilak Varma getting into the act as well. Pulls one behind square on the on side for another boundary. 19 runs come off the over. 132/3 after 14.

Sangha into his third over. Too short and Gaikwad rocks deep in crease before pummeling him down mid wicket for four. Next up, width on the off side, and the right hander clubs him over extra cover for four more. He's changing gears and at the right time here. 113/3 after 13 overs.

Kane Richardson into his second spell. Easy pickings for the newly-in Tilak Varma. Length ball down the leg side and the southpaw pulls it down fine leg for four. Later in the over, comes the slap shot off Richardson's usual ammo - angled away delivery from the left hander. Four more runs. Gaikwad adds another boundary to complete a big over for India. Cut through the field on the off side in front of square. 101/3 after 12 overs.

Aaron Hardie into his second over and what a moment for the debutant!

Suryakumar Yadav looks to swivel across and swing one off a hard length delivery but gets an outside edge that goes behind and is grasped by his Australian counterpart Matthew Wade. Australia get their main man just after the drinks break. India three down in Guwahati.

Gaikwad though, wraps up the over with a boundary off a short one. Pulled down deep square leg for four. 88/3 after 11 overs.

Change of ends for Nathan Ellis. Little change in the fortunes though. It was a typical-unorthodox batting-Surya that had taken him down for two maximums in the first over. Off his full delivery going down the leg side, the Indian captain picks out a shot straight from the dusty manuals of batting. A picture-perfect on drive down the ground for four, *chef's fingers*. Just how good is he when you consider the whole lot of shots he plays behind the wicket and combine them with strokes such as this one that he keeps up his sleeve!

After 10 overs, India are 80/2.

Sangha into his second over. Gaikwad gets into the act. A fuller delivery with too much width and he isn't going to miss out on that. Makes room outside the leg stump to cover drive it for four more. Creamed! India, 74/2 after nine overs.

A fifth bowler introduced by Matthew Wade in the eighth over of the innings. Aaron Hardie over the wicket to Suryakumar Yadav. Cross seam length ball, cut away and it runs down backward point for four. He's looking to dismantle the confidence of the newcomer. Back of a length ball, lapped down square leg for four more. Gets offered another full delivery outside the off stump, Surya goes for the slice shot but it falls short of Glenn Maxwell in front of square on the off side. 12 runs from the over, 66/2 after eight. 

Tanveer Sangha replaces Nathan Ellis, who was mauled for a couple of sixes by Suryakumar Yadav in the last over. Comes over the wicket and SKY picks his full toss down the leg side for a four. Poor start this from the young man. 

Good comeback though as he manages to beat the Indian captain on the outside edge. The latter picks up his next one - a quicker, flighted delivery that's pushed down short fine for four more. 54/2 after seven overs.

Behrendorff over the wicket to Gaikwad. Good length ball angling away from the right hander, and Gaikwad meets it with full face of the bat to straight drive it down the ground for four runs. Just the faintest of bat movement to get that one. Wraps up the over with a beauty that beats Gaikwad on the outside edge, less movement than what was off that previous ball. End of the powerplay for India, 43/2.

Nathan Ellis to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Sprays one down the leg side. The right-hander flicks one down square leg to collect a single. Against Suryakumar Yadav, he goes slightly back but the Indian captain is too goot to extend his levers and pick it for a maximum over the same region. What a shot! Typical SKY, first maximum of the game. And guess what, there's more. A length ball that's darted outside the leg stump and Surya comes in line of the stumps to make room and flick it over fine leg for six. 13 runs come off the over. 39/2 after five overs.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav is in. Taking his time to settle in after a couple of early wickets for the Aussies. The pitch has bounce on offer and Richardson-Behrendorff have made the most of the early movement as well. A good second over from the latter, just the one run comes off it. 26/2 after four overs.

Richardson to Gaikwad. Another inswinger to the right hander that's spilled too far down the leg side and it runs down deep fine for five wides. The right-armer holds the length and gets the reward. 

A length ball that's darting away from Ishan Kishan, who couldn't help but have a swing on it. Only manages to find the fielder inside the circle. A soft dismissal and India are two down. Seven runs come off the third over. India, 25/2.

Edged and gone!

Jason Behrendorff steams in from the other end. A dot ball to start. Jaiswal is in no mood to see another one, hence the dance down the track. Catches an outside edge and it falls in the grasp of the skipper behind the stumps. India lose their first wicket and one would wonder if that blind swing was even required with 14 runs on the board from that first over?

Ishan Kishan is the new man in. The left-armer sprays one down his pads and Kishan flicks it down deep fine for four. 18/1 after two overs.

And away it goes as Matthew Hayden had predicted. A little too far away outside off. Wide. Next ball is back of a length and on the stumpline, nudged down backward point for a single. Richardson holds his ace delivery against the right hander as well, bringing it in to him. Same release off the next one but it sprays too far down the leg for Gaikwad - a second wide off the over. Another one follows off the next one. No boundaries so far but five runs on the board off just two deliveries. Goes too short and Jaiswal pumps him down mid wicket for four - first boundary for India. 

Off Gaikwad, he manages to serve one that holds its line and takes a neat outside edge to run down the vacant cordon for four. Intentional? Didn't feel like it. But India have 14 runs on the board off the first over without any casuality.

Right then, the dew has already started to settle in as the Australian players round up in the huddle around their captain Matthew Wade. He was all praise for the unit at the toss. Can they pull one back and keep the series alive? Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad would like to make sure they don't. Adding 77 runs off just 35 deliveries between them on Sunday, they'd put India in the comfort seat. Can they repeat a similar partnership as India begin to construct a side for the T20 World Cup not that far down the road? All set in readiness for the game in Guwahati. 

Kane Richardson in the side, and he has the new ball. "Just watch that new ball to go away from the left-hander," Matthew Hayden with the ominous warning for Jaiswal. Off we go in Guwahati!

Suryakumar Yadav announced it at the toss. Mukesh Kumar is not part of India's playing XI tonight, having left the team for his marriage. The Indian cricket board elaborate on the same.

BCCI statement: 'Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar made a request to BCCI to be released from India’s squad ahead of the third T20I against Australia in Guwahati. Mukesh is getting married and has been granted leave for the duration of his wedding festivities. He will join the squad ahead of the 4th T20I in Raipur. Pacer Deepak Chahar has been added to India’s squad for the remainder of the series.'

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna

Australia: Travis Head, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w/c), Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha, Kane Richardson

Matthew Wade: We will bowl. I don't think it matters a lot, dew should settle in early. We are not a 100% sure, but it's quite wet already and could only become a bigger factor. We were short in a couple of phases, but the boys are in good shape. We have a few going out after this game - Travis Head, Kane Richardson and Jason Behrendorff.

Suryakumar Yadav: Happy to bat first, not surprised with the dew coming along early. We just want to do the same thing, have the game plans and express ourselves. One change for us - Avesh replaces Mukesh, who is playing his biggest game, he's getting married and we wish him all the best.

Matthew Wade calls it right at the toss, Australia will bowl first in Guwahati.

Ashish Nehra believes Rinku Singh is here to stay and that he's more than just the moniker which is being thrown at him at the moment. "Sky is the limit for him. He's young, he's fit and I don't think he should just restrict himself as a T20 finisher. I think he can make the difference in any role. I think he can even come in to play to steady the ship if India lose four early wickets. Also, he can be a great asset in the ODIs," Nehra says on JioCinema.

Six Australia cricketers, including Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis and Sean Abott are set set to leave the five-match T20I series against India mid-way and will fly home.

Cricket.com.au has reported that Steve Smith and Adam Zampa had already flown home, while Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott are set to fly home on Wednesday after the third T20I. (Read more)

Over the past 12 months as India’s batting might went from strength to strength, Ishan Kishan’s case got rather peculiar. It was he who first signalled a clear change of approach at the top of the order in limited-overs cricket, only to spend the next 10 months as a back-up batsman. He has been around, watching from the sidelines as the rest of the batsmen feasted on flat decks. At the World Cup, despite being in a rich vein of form, he only got a chance when Shubman Gill was injured.

And three days after watching his teammates get stuck in the middle overs of the World Cup final, Ishan was at the forefront of India’s biggest successful T20 run-chase ever against Australia in Vizag. The 39-ball 58 was an innings that showed that Ishan has managed to retain the hunger, despite warming the bench for most of India’s matches since the Asia Cup despite being among the most in-form batsmen, writes Venkata Krishna B. (Read more)

India's captain for the series Suryakumar Yadav would leave members of the press in splits on Monday in Guwahati. He'd been inquired about the India's latest T20 obsession. "When I saw Rinku come in to bat [in the first T20I], the composure he showed was brilliant. It reminded me of someone. Everyone knows the answer." 

The parallels will keep on coming given the pace at which Rinku is offering his T20 specials this year. It was the IPL season with Kolkata Knight Riders that elevated his status. The few innings he's played in his short India career so far have only reaffirmed the faith put in him by the team management, who'd keep their fingers crossed with a T20 World Cup not too far down the road. 

Such has been Rinku's impact that even Tilak Varma, who'd made his national team debut around the same time as Rinku, names the southpaw as his inspiration at the moment. “I am learning how to finish games from Rinku as he is doing it consistently for India. I also want to do and hopefully in coming matches I will be doing that.”

It will be only a third T20I game hosted at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. While the weather conditions are expected to be humid on Tuesday, past records indicate the duality on offer when it comes to the pitch.

In 2017, when India played their first game at the venue, they were bowled out for 118 against Australia. Last year though, witnessed a high-scoring contest that saw India post 237 and South Africa slaughter another 221 in response.

Why are India packing their T20 batting line-up with left-handed batsmen? Since the tour of Ireland in mid-August, India’s top seven consists of at least five left-handers. The Indian Express understands that after the last edition of the IPL, the selection committee dwelled extensively on the winning formula adopted by recent winners and also on successful T20 teams worldwide.

Two coaches Bharat Arun and Sridharan Sriram, who have mentored bowling units of India and Australia, point out the reasons for this leftward tilt to Venkata Krishna B. (Read here)

Tushar Bhaduri with the plot points from the first two T20Is:

1st T20, Vishakhapatnam: Captaining the India team for the five-match T20 series versus Australia, Suryakumar Yadav was at his destructive best — nine 4s and four 6s in his 42-ball 80. (Read more)

2nd T20, Thiruvananthapuram: Yashasvi Jaiswal (53 off 25 balls), Ishan Kishan (52 off 32), Ruturaj Gaikwad (58 off 43) set up the innings before Rinku Singh's 31 not out off 9 help India take 2-0 lead against Australia. (Read more)

The India vs Australia T20 caravan moves to Guwahati. 2-0 up, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team will look to clinch the series on Tuesday. While the first game saw them claim a win on the last ball - chasing their highest T20I total ever - the second match displayed a much more dominant side of this team with the top three in Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan scoring fifties and Rinku Singh claying another T20 blitzkrieg (31 off 9 balls) before the bowlers saw the game through. 

Australia on the other hand have called in reinforcements for six of their original squad players - Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis and Sean Abott. The recently crowned ODI world champions have one last chance to salvage a series win. Will they pull one back or will India maintain their impressive home record of bilateral T20I series wins? Hang tight as we take you through the evening.