Abhishek looked fluent early, launching Adam Zampa down the ground for six, but his aggressive intent soon brought his downfall as he holed out to long-on attempting another big hit. Gill, who had struggled in the series so far, worked hard for his runs before being dismissed by a slower delivery from Nathan Ellis.
Promoted to No. 3 to counter Zampa, Shivam Dube (22) couldn’t make a substantial contribution, while captain Suryakumar Yadav (20 off 10) offered a quick spark before falling against the run of play. Nathan Ellis (3/21) led Australia’s bowling effort brilliantly with his variations, while Zampa (3/45) chipped in with crucial wickets despite going for runs.
After being well-placed at 121/3, India lost momentum completely, collapsing to 167/8, with four wickets falling for just 42 runs in the last five overs. Axar Patel’s unbeaten cameo (21* off 11) added some respectability, but the innings lacked the fluency needed for a competitive total.
