On a pitch that was on the slower side, India did reasonably well to score 167 despite a mini-collapse. The three spinners and Shivam Dube then led the defence, bowling Australia out for 119 to secure a 48-run win at the Carrara Oval in Gold Coast. With this victory, India go 2–1 up in the five-match series.
Chasing 168, Australia got off to a decent start, with Matthew Short leading the charge. India failed to break the opening stand in the first four overs, with Jasprit Bumrah once again going wicketless in his first spell. Axar Patel came on and removed the dangerous-looking Short for 25. Skipper Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis tried to rebuild the innings, but Axar didn’t allow the partnership to flourish as he dismissed Inglis. With the pitch being a bit slow and low, Dube was brought on during the middle overs. Although the medium pacer leaked runs, he picked up the two important wickets of Marsh and Tim David.
After going wicketless in his first spell, Arshdeep Singh struck with his first delivery of the second spell to send back Josh Philippe. The responsibility to see the team home then fell on the shoulders of Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell, who was playing his first game of the series. Much to the disappointment of the home fans, both were dismissed quickly. Washington Sundar did the clean-up job with three wickets.
It was an unusual start for India with the bat. Shubman Gill outscored Abhishek Sharma in the Powerplay as the latter struggled to come to terms with the pace of the surface. Abhishek tried his best to break free, but the Australian bowlers tied him down. Gill was the aggressor, but he too couldn’t inflict much damage. A total of 49 runs were scored, India’s lowest Powerplay total since July 2024, although they did not lose a wicket.
In Adam Zampa’s first over, Abhishek smashed a six but was dismissed the very next ball. This brought an end to a 56-run partnership, which remained India’s best of the innings. India’s experimentation with their batting order continued as Dube was sent in at number three. The move didn’t bear the desired fruit, as he could only add 22 to the total before Nathan Ellis outfoxed him with an off-cutter. The only highlight of his brief innings was a massive six that went outside the stadium.
Gill struggled to find boundaries after the Powerplay and was also undone by a slower one from Ellis. At 121 for 2 in 14 overs, India had a platform but couldn’t capitalise. Only 46 runs came in the last six overs as India lost their way at the back end of the innings. The Australian pacers used their variations to great effect, taking wickets at crucial junctures. Ellis was the most impressive of all the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3 for 21. Zampa marked his return to the side with a wicket as well. As has been the case throughout the white-ball leg, Marsh was brilliant with his bowling changes and field placements.
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