Kohli and Yadav steer India to T20 series win over Australia

Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav scored sublime half-centuries to give India a six-wicket win and series victory over Australia in the third and final T20I in Hyderabad.

Quickfire innings from the opener Cameron Green (52 off 21 balls) and Tim David (54 off 27) set up a score of 186 for seven for Australia on Sunday after they lost the toss.

India, the No 1-ranked side in the world, lost their openers inside the first four overs, but a third-wicket stand of 104 between Kohli (63 off 48) and Suryakumar Yadav (69 off 36) gave them the initiative.

Needing 11 off the final over, bowled by Daniel Sams (2-33 off 2.5 overs), Kohli blasted a six over long on but was caught at extra cover off the next delivery.

Only one came off the next two balls but Hardik Pandya (25 not out off 16) edged the fifth delivery outside off stump to the boundary to secure the win.

Kohli middled the ball well from the start of his innings, producing a couple of sumptuous cover driven boundaries.

He then took a back seat as Yadav bullied the Australia attack, smashing five fours and five sixes.

Kohli had a life on 23 when leg spinner Adam Zampa spilled a sharp return catch

Yadav played shots around the wicket, bringing up his half century with a wristy six over long on off Zampa and blasting another maximum over cover of the spinner’s next delivery.

Green, who also impressed with the ball, conceding just 14 from his three overs, stuck seven fours and three sixes, two of them off successive deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah.

He dominated the early stages of the Australian innings, scoring all but 10 of their runs before he was dismissed off the final ball off the fifth over.

However, he was the only one of Australia’s top four to reach double figures with