Melbourne, Oct 31, 2025 — In front of an MCG crowd of 82,438—loudly pro-India—Josh Hazlewood delivered a masterclass to set up Australia’s four-wicket win and a 1–0 lead in the T20I series. His 3/13 from four overs dismantled India for 125, rendering Abhishek Sharma’s sparkling 68 off 37 a lone stand, before Mitchell Marsh (46 off 26) and Travis Head (28 off 15) iced a routine chase with 40 balls to spare.
Match Summary
Australia 126/6 (13.2 ov)
• Marsh 46 (26), Head 28 (15)
• Varun Chakravarthy 2/23, Jasprit Bumrah 2 wickets (two in two at the end)
India 125 (20 ov)
• Abhishek Sharma 68 (37), Harshit Rana 35 (33)
• Hazlewood 3/13, Nathan Ellis 2/21, Xavier Bartlett 2/39
Result: Australia won by 4 wickets (40 balls remaining). Australia lead series 1–0.
How the game swung
Hazlewood sets the tone (4–0–13–3)
On a brisk, quick MCG surface, Hazlewood hit a relentless channel and steep bounce.
- Rattled Shubman Gill early (bouncer to the helmet after a nip-backer and nip-away), then removed him as India’s top slid.
- Suryakumar Yadav nicked off after a leg-side glove chance went down the ball before; Tilak Varma followed to a steepler.
- After the powerplay India were 40/4, Hazlewood sitting on 3/6 from three. Marsh pushed him for a fourth over; only a streaky edge from Abhishek evaded the cordon.
Support acts: Nathan Ellis (2/21) nailed lengths at the death; Xavier Bartlett (2/39) book-ended the innings.
Abhishek’s lone resistance
While wickets tumbled, Abhishek Sharma batted on a different plane:
- Blazed 14 in Bartlett’s second over, including an audacious inside-out six over cover to a ball starting outside leg.
- Pre-empted the slower-ball bouncer to upper-cut Ellis over short third—innovation under pressure.
- Reached 50 off 23, but faced just 37 of 111 legal deliveries as partners came and went; Axar Patel’s run-out (7 off 12) summed up India’s scramble for strike.
- With Harshit Rana (35 off 33) he added much-needed substance, but Ellis’s yorker ended Abhishek’s gem; 180+ dreams shrank to 125.
Marsh and Head shut the door
Bumrah beat the bat repeatedly up top, but Head released pressure with a shovel over mid-on and a flicked six, then fell to a boundary-rope grab for a brisk 28.
Marsh weathered Bumrah like a Test spell—leave, defend, reset—then detonated once the threat eased: four towering sixes across overs from Rana, Varun, and Kuldeep turned the chase into a procession. Late wickets (Varun 2/23; Kuldeep among the strikes; Bumrah two in two with two needed) dressed the margin, not the outcome.
Key numbers
- Hazlewood: 4–0–13–3 (powerplay wrecking ball)
- Powerplay: India 40/4; Australia cantered thereafter
- Strike rates: Abhishek 183; Marsh 176; Head 187
- Balls remaining: 40 — Australia’s dominance despite a late wobble
What India got right (and wrong)
Right:
- Raza-style middle squeeze via Varun (2/23); Bumrah still a menace, two scalps in two balls at the end.
Wrong: - Top-order method vs. bounce—length and chest-high lift from Hazlewood weren’t answered with adjustments.
- Strike rotation—Abhishek starved of the ball for long stretches; mix-ups (Axar run-out) compounded.
What Australia will bank
- New-ball blueprint: Hazlewood’s heavy length + bounce on the MCG translates to Perth/Adelaide plans.
- Middle-over clarity: Ellis’ change-ups and Bartlett’s bookends give Marsh flexible options.
- Batting tempo: Absorb Bumrah’s new ball, then over-attack spin before the death—worked perfectly.
Looking ahead
India need a powerplay rethink with and against the ball—ways to shield the top three from steep bounce and to expose Marsh/Head to more Bumrah. Australia, already 1–0, will chase a fast series cushion if the surfaces stay lively.
