Kohli 85 in vain as Australia avoid sweep

Image courtesy: cricket.com.au

Australia 186 for 5 (Wade 80, Maxwell 54, Sundar 2-34) beat India 174 for 7 (Kohli 85, Swepson 3-23) by 12 runs

Sydney: Australia beat India by 12 runs in the third and final T20I to avoid a clean sweep in the three-game series at SCG on Tuesday.

Sent in to bat, Matthew Wade top-scored for the hosts with 80 off 53 balls as Australia scored 186 for five in their stipulated 20 overs.

In reply, skipper Virat Kohli smashed a 61-ball 85 but India were restricted to 174 for 7.

Australia lost an early wicket, before Wade and Steve Smith (24) added a 65-run stand for the second wicket

After Smith's dismissal, Wade found company in the form of Maxwell and the two stitched a 90-run stand.

India claimed wickets in the end to restrict Australia to 186/5.

In reply, Australian spinners Mitchell Swepson (3/23), Adam Zampa (1/21) and Maxwell (1/20) stood out.

Wade notched his second successive fifty and made his presence felt with a 53-ball 80.

The southpaw amassed seven fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 150.94.

This was Wade's third career T20I fifty. Notably, all of Wade's fifties have come against India and that too batting at the top.

Wade has surpassed the 400-run mark in T20Is.

Maxwell, who registered a 36-ball 54, hit three fours and three sixes.

The all-rounder has raced to 1,687 career T20I runs at an average of 33.07.

He surpassed the tally of Pakistan's Babar Azam (1,681) and South Africa legend AB de Villiers (1,672).

Maxwell became the second Australian to get past 400 T20I runs against India (431).

It was his second fifty against India.

Indian skipper Kohli hit his 25th career T20I fifty and a seventh one versus Australia.

He now has the joint-most fifty-plus scores in T20Is alongside Rohit Sharma.

Kohli also went past 2,900 career T20I runs and became the first player to do so.

Shikhar Dhawan (28) raced to 1,669 T20I runs and got past Kane Williamson's tally (1,665).