Get ready for an edge-of-your-seat showdown in Hobart! As Australia battles to defend their Twenty20 series lead against India, the hosts have just posted a total that promises a nail-biting chase – but will India rise to the challenge and keep their hopes alive? Stick around, because this match is packed with twists, from miraculous reprieves to explosive hitting, and there's more drama unfolding than you might expect. Let's dive into the live updates and break it down step by step, making sure even newcomers to cricket can follow along with ease.
Key Highlights
- Stoinis departs for 64, leaving India needing 187 to secure victory
- Bumrah delivers a superb 19th over, keeping things tight
- Stoinis gets a second chance after a catch review overturns the decision, then reaches a half-century
- Short's risky swings pay off with a boundary just clearing the ropes
- Stoinis steps up as the senior batsman, anchoring Australia's hopes
- Stoinis dispatches Dube for two massive sixes, but David fails to clear the boundary at long-off
- Varun strikes twice in quick succession, rattling Australia's middle order
- It's David vs. the mighty Bumrah, in what promises to be a classic encounter (check out the full story here: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/australia-v-india-live-tourists-aim-to-even-twenty20-series-in-hobart-20251102-p5n72z.html?post=p59h34#p59h34)
*
*
1 of 2
*
Stoinis out for 64, India set 187 to win
Wicket!
Marcus Stoinis has delivered a stellar performance, but with just four deliveries remaining in the innings, he fails to loft the ball over long-on. That's Arshdeep Singh claiming his third dismissal of the day.
Arshdeep allows just 10 runs in the final over, and now India faces the daunting task of chasing down 187 to win.
This sets up an exhilarating pursuit – Australia might be missing Josh Hazlewood from their bowling attack, but India knows they can't afford many errors or they'll risk losing the series with only two matches left. For beginners, think of this as a high-stakes game where one mistake can shift the momentum dramatically, much like in a thriller movie where the hero has to escape without tripping the alarm.
Bumrah’s 19th over is tight
Jasprit Bumrah takes charge of the second-last over.
He concedes a couple of quick singles and a two, focusing on delivering balls right at the stumps to restrict the batsmen – a technique called bowling Yorkers, which are low, fast pitches aimed at the batsman's feet to make scoring tricky.
Stoinis is puzzled by a slower Yorker that narrowly misses the off stump. The over yields only six runs – a masterclass in bowling control!
Stoinis reprieved after catch overturned then gets to 50
India's team erupts in celebration as they think they've caught Stoinis at long-on, but upon review, the substitute fielder didn't manage to get his hands fully under the ball. What a pivotal moment – it could have ended Stoinis' innings early!
Capitalizing on the lifeline, Stoinis smashes two boundaries to backward point, and his half-century arrives in just 32 deliveries. Fantastic effort!
He caps off the over by pulling a short ball over the wicketkeeper for another four, adding 14 runs in total.
Short swings for the fence and just makes it
D'Arcy Short doesn't quite connect perfectly with Abhishek Sharma's delivery, but the ball carries just far enough for Arshdeep to fumble it over the boundary, awarding six runs.
Short finds another four when Shubman Gill mishandles a straight drive that bounces off the grass and rolls over the rope due to a slight deflection.
Rishabh Pant's replacement, Shivam Dube, returns for his third over, and Stoinis contemptuously hits the first ball to the cover boundary.
Stoinis takes up the senior role
Australia now depends on Stoinis and Short to ensure they reach a defendable score.
They handle Varun Chakravarthy's final over cautiously, but when Varun bowls wide, Stoinis capitalizes with a powerful boundary behind point. Varun wraps up with impressive figures of 2-33. Only five overs remain – and this is the part most people miss: the pressure on batsmen to accelerate without losing wickets mirrors the intensity of a high-speed car chase in a race.
Stoinis puts Dube onto the hill, twice, but David can’t clear long-off
Wicket!
Stoinis has settled in nicely, but Dube's short delivery at medium pace tempts him into a massive six that lands on the hill.
The very next ball, a full toss, is flicked for another six, this time further towards square leg.
Tim David steps up and makes solid contact, but he can't quite get it over the long-off boundary. That's 74 runs from 38 balls for David – a blistering knock!
Australia battling somewhat at halfway
A reverse sweep from Stoinis helps extract nine runs off Axar Patel's second over, and Australia stands at 4-84 at the midway point.
The hosts will need a robust finish in the last 10 overs to reach a total suited to the Hobart conditions, especially without Mitchell Starc or Hazlewood available to bolster the bowling. For context, imagine this as building a sandcastle against an incoming tide – you need strong foundations to withstand the challenges.
David advances down the wicket in the 11th over to smash Varun over long-off for six. He ends the over with another maximum, flatter this time after Varun changes his angle around the wicket. David is blazing at 70 from 33 balls.
Varun goes bang, bang
Wicket! Wicket!
Mitchell Marsh hasn't had much opportunity to face deliveries amid David's onslaught, and he miscues a pull shot towards the ground – an easy catch for long-off.
Jake Fraser-McGurk enters the crease, another Hobart Hurricane, but he completely misjudges the first ball sliding in and loses his stumps. Varun is on a hat-trick!
Stoinis interrupts Varun's run-up, and after the brief pause, the hat-trick delivery is too straight and yields a single. But here's where it gets controversial – was that interruption fair play, or did it unfairly disrupt Varun's rhythm? Opinions might differ, but it certainly added to the drama!
David climbs into Axar and Dube
Axar faces a tough assignment, bowling against the wind, which actually helps David hit with the breeze behind him.
Axar's third ball soars into the crowd at cover, and his fifth bounces off a sponsor's logo high up in the David Boon stand – measured at 129 meters, no less! David is now at 38 off 18 balls.
Dube takes the eighth over, and his first ball, short and wide, is slashed to the cover fence, with David repeating the feat off the fourth ball. In these conditions, Australia really needs to aim for over 200 runs.
A third boundary in the over sees David's half-century arrive in just 23 balls – explosive stuff!
Dropped chance?
Bumrah pitches full to David, who edges a drive to backward point where Washington Sundar lets it slip. India debates whether it was a genuine catch, but commentators agree it was a missed opportunity.
David adds another boundary over cover before singles push Australia to 2-43 after the Powerplay. India must be pleased with that start – and this is the part most people miss: fielding errors like dropped catches can swing a match, just like a fumbled ball in a sports final deciding the outcome.
*
*
1 of 2
*
Most Viewed in Sport
Loading
What a thrilling encounter this is turning out to be! From Stoinis' reprieve to David's boundary blitz, it's full of moments that could tip the scales. But what do you think – is India's bowling strategy the right one, or could Australia have pushed for more runs? And that controversial interruption of Varun's hat-trick ball – was it a smart tactical move or poor sportsmanship? Share your thoughts in the comments below; I'd love to hear your take, whether you agree or disagree!
