"Mehra’s unbeaten 82 drags India level in thrilling Wankhede chase"

Mumbai: For twelve overs this looked like Australia’s series. Then Arjun Mehra found his range, the dew settled on the Wankhede outfield, and a chase that had been drifting out of reach was run down with four balls to spare.

The context

Australia arrived with a 1-0 lead and a settled side; India had changed three players after a heavy defeat in Hyderabad. The pitch was the flattest of the series, and both captains said at the toss that anything under 190 would be chased.

Australia chose to bat and made the most of it. Liam Hartley took 14 off the first over and 52 off the powerplay with his partner, and his 61 from 38 balls was built on clean, flat hitting through the off side.

How India pulled it back

The middle overs belonged to India’s spinners. Between overs 7 and 14 Australia managed only 41 runs and lost three wickets, with left-armer Kunal Bhatia conceding 21 from his four overs. Mitch Langford’s late 34 from 19 balls lifted them to 182 for 7, a total India would later describe as 15 short.

The turning point

India’s reply began badly. Both openers were gone inside the powerplay and at 38 for 2 the crowd fell quiet. By the strategic timeout the required rate had reached 11.2, and Mehra had faced 11 dot balls in his first 20 deliveries.

The 13th over changed everything. Josh Carver’s leg-spin had gone for 18 in three overs; his fourth went for 19. Mehra swept the first ball for four, cleared long-on twice and kept the strike. The stand with Rohan Desai, worth 94 from 51 balls, took India from needing a rescue to controlling the finish.

At the halfway mark we knew one big over would change it. Arjun picked the right bowler and the right moment. That is what experience looks like.

— India captain Aditya Rao

Scorecard summary

Tactical breakdown

Australia’s mistake was one of timing rather than personnel. With the dew already heavy, the ball was skidding on and Carver’s googly stopped gripping; holding him back until the 13th over left a spinner bowling in the worst of the conditions. India, by contrast, used both their wrist-spinners inside the first ten overs while the surface was still dry.

India’s death bowling was the quieter story. Australia were 152 for 4 after 17 overs and looked set for 200. Kabir Sethi bowled the 18th and 20th for 11 runs between them, landing four consecutive yorkers to Langford.

Player of the match: Arjun Mehra

India head to Bengaluru, where they have won four of their last five T20Is, with their best batter in form and their death bowling finally settled. Australia will look again at their spin plan; the decider starts at 7pm local time on Sunday.

What it means