Ind vs Aus 3rd T20: Virat Kohli’s men sealed the T20I series against Australia with a game to spare after a swashbuckling Hardik Pandya finished what Shikhar Dhawan had set out to achieve with a scintillating 36-ball 52 in the second and penultimate match on Sunday. The win has also taken India a step closer to overtaking Australia in the ICC World T20 rankings.
India will now eye the third T20 match, also the last of the series, which if they manage to win will help them achieve two milestones.
First Milestone: ICC T20 Rankings Team
India is currently ranked third in the team rankings with 269 points. They are just a point behind the Aussies who are at the second place with 270 points.
If India manages to win on Tuesday, they will climb to the second position, overtaking Australia in the process. According to ICC’s Team Rankings Predictor, India will get two points for the win. Australia, on the other hand, will lose two points.
Currently England holds the No.1 spot in the shortest format of the game with 275 rating points in 25 matches.
Second Milestone: Equal Afghanistan’s winning streak record
India on Sunday had surpassed Pakistan’s winning streak after extending its T20 unbeaten record to 10. They are now placed third in the list behind Afghanistan, who acquires both No.1 and 2 spot.
Interestingly, Team India are yet to lose a T20I in last 12 months with their first win going back to December 2019 against West Indies in Mumbai. In 2020, the first T20I series that India played was with Sri Lanka at home. The first game of the 3-match series was abandoned due to rain in Guwahati, while India won the other two games in Indore and Pune and sealed the series 2-0.
After that on the tour of New Zealand, India completed a 5-0 white-wash of the hosts with two of the matches being won in a Super Over. The win on Friday was their 9th consecutive one, while the second T20I win on Sunday was their 10th in a row
A win on Tuesday, however, will extend India’s streak to 11 equalling Afghanistan’s record. Overall, Afghanistan holds the record of the most consecutive wins in T20Is – having won 12 T20Is on trot from 2018 to 2019.