Maxwell's record-equalling ton leads Australia to victory
Glenn Maxwell is currently in excellent form, having achieved the fastest World Cup century during Australia's recent tournament victory and scoring an unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan. The third T20 match between India and Australia in Guwahati saw India score 222-3 in 20 overs, with Gaikwad making an impressive 123* (57) and Behrendorff taking 1-12. However, Australia managed to secure a five-wicket victory after hitting 225-5 in 20 overs, with Maxwell leading the charge with an unbeaten 104* (48) and Bishnoi taking 2-32. Find the full scorecard for the match below.
In Guwahati, Glenn Maxwell managed to keep Australia's chances of winning the series against India alive by hitting the joint-fastest T20 century for his country.
Maxwell scored an invincible 104 runs without being dismissed in 48 deliveries. During his innings, he hit eight balls to the boundary for four runs and eight balls went over the boundary rope for six runs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad's impressive score of 123 runs from 57 balls was just as outstanding, resulting in a target of 223 for Australia. In the end, the Australian team managed to attain this target on the very last ball of the match.
Currently, India is in the lead of the series with a score of 2-1 and there are still two games left to be played.
Australia player Jason Behrendorff described the cricket match as impressive, as he managed to achieve a score of 1-12 in his four over stint.
We aim to win the series and we have made progress toward that goal. It was an exceptional display, and we plan to carry that energy into the following match.
To have a shot at winning the series, Australia understood that winning the third T20 out of five was crucial.
India had a sluggish start and reached a score of 81-3 in the eleventh over of the match. That was the time when Gaikwad got a new partner in the form of the team's leader, Suryakumar Yadav.
Their terrific collaboration resulted in scoring 141 runs, as Gaikwad marked a milestone by being the initial Indian cricketer to hit a T20 hundred against Australia.
As a result, Australia's score dropped from 66-1 to 134-5.
Maxwell made a historic achievement with his century despite challenges. He managed to reach a score of 100 after hitting 47 balls, which is tied as the fastest any Australian has reached it in T20 history. He shared this record with Aaron Finch and Josh Inglis.
After reaching a score of 100, he struck the following ball for four runs to secure a triumph by five wickets.
The fourth T20 match is scheduled for Friday in Raipur, and the series will come to an end on Sunday in Bengaluru.
Both teams are expected to have less seasoned rosters for the remainder of the series.
Suryakumar was the sole Indian player who participated in the World Cup finals, where they were defeated by Australia. He also played in the third T20 game.
Australia's World Cup champions, namely Maxwell, Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, and Sean Abbott, will all head back to their homeland, leaving Head as the singular Australian World Cup winner remaining in India.
The squad will be joined by wicketkeepers Josh Philippe and Ben McDermott, left-handed pace bowler Ben Dwarshuis, and off-spin bowler Chris Green for the rest of the tour.
