Hyderabad: The third and the final T20I between India and Australia at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to the wet outfield.
Much was expected of today’s match as both the teams were on equal terms but the umpires along with the match officials decided to call off the match due to a soft outfield, despite the fact that there was no rains for quite some time.
The ground staff put in all their efforts but couldn’t clear the outfield as the T20I series ends with each team having a win to their name.
India began the three-match series in emphatic fashion as they defeated the Australians by nine wickets in a rain-truncated fixture in Ranchi. The visitors however replied back making a statement by thrashing Virat Kohli and his men by eight wickets in the second game, thereby levelling things up in the series.
Thus, this tie had gained a lot of importance as the series was in the line for both the teams. While Australia needed this one badly after being battered by the hosts by a 4-1 margin in the ODI series, India wouldn’t want to settle for anything less than a win and would have wanted to carry on with their dominance.
One can say that Australia had a chance to end this tour on a high as they carried with them the momentum they had gained during their victory in the second game. But rains squandered their only opportunity of redemption as they would want to put this tour behind and focus on the Ashes, beginning in November.
India would next square off against New Zealand at home for a three-match ODI series and the same number of T20I’s, beginning from October 22.