Australian leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson’s clinical bowling performance and Matthew Wade’s T20I career-best innings saved the hosts from a whitewash having lost the first two games in the T20I series, as the Aussies defeat India by 12 runs in the third and final T20I on Tuesday (December 8) in Sydney.
Wade played his T20I career-best knock of 80 from 53 balls and then Swepson took three wickets to take Australia to a 12-run victory over Team India. The spinner was adjudged Man of the Match for his match-winning figures of 3/23 in his four overs against India on Tuesday.
Swepson is part of Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy and he could have been playing tour games against India A, but an injury to Ashton Agar forced the hosts to recalled the 27-year-old for the recently concluded T20I series against India.
He was delighted with his match-winning performance for Australia in the final game, saying he was happy to get some “turn and shape” on Tuesday after being disappointed with his show in the 1st T20I.
Swepson said at the post-match media conference: “Yeah, 100 percent (happy and satisfied), obviously a lot happier with how I bowled tonight compared to that first game. And I was a bit disappointed (other days), the ball came out little-bit shorter, which is not the way I like to bowl (in the first game).”
He further added, “So tonight, I just tried to really spin it up and get some nice shape and turn. That seemed to work a lot better for me and it worked quite well to Virat (Kohli).”
One side was just 60 -odd meters and the spinner said that he had to defend that side bowling wide off Kohli, saying: “They had that short boundary, to his leg-side, so I was really just trying to defend that short-side and luckily I was able to do that.”
The 27-year-old also lauded his fellow spinner Adam Zampa, who was like a bit of a mentor for him in the final T20I that really helped him immensely against Team India.
Swepson further noted, “Zampa is been excellent since I have come into the T20 squad. He is obviously a very experienced bowler now in white-ball cricket, played close to 100 games for Australia now.
So being able to draw from a guy that’s been out there and done it, and particularly over the last couple of years, he has done it so well. It was great to have him here as a bit of a mentor, especially having a guy like him out on the field, helping with setting fields and things like that were really handy for me. He was really quick to offer his advice when I flew into the squad, so I can’t speak highly enough of Zampa’s help that he gave me throughout the past three games.”
He is also looking forward to playing in a three-day warm-up game against India, starting December 11 at SCG.
Swepson signed off by saying, “100 percent, anytime you are on that field is a great opportunity. Yes, it (the A game) is a great opportunity. I am hoping that I can play a role and hopefully take some wickets at the SCG, which is a lovely place to play, and every time I play here, I enjoy it, so can’t wait.”
(With PTI Inputs)
