India beats Australia by 4 wickets in 3rd T20, ties series

Captain Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 61 to steer India to a six-wicket win over Australia in the third Twenty20 international on Sunday, tying the rain-affected three-match series at 1-1.

India produced significant partnerships at both ends of the innings to ease past Australia's competitive total of 164-6, reaching 168-4 with two balls to spare.

Shikhar Dhawan (41) and Rohit Sharma (23) put on 67 from 33 balls for the first wicket then, after Adam Zampa and A.J. Tye had helped Australia pull back the run-rate, Kohli closed out the match in an unbroken partnership of 60 from 39 balls with Dinesh Karthik (22 not out).

Australia's Alex Carey reacts after taking a catch to dismiss India's Rishabh Pant during their Twenty20 cricket match in Sydney, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)

En-route, Kohil reached his 19th Twenty20 international half century from 35 balls, urged on by a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground in which India fans overwhelmingly outnumbered Australians.

Australia won the first match of the series at Brisbane and the second at Melbourne was lost to rain, presenting the home side with the chance on Sunday to achieve its first ever T20 series win over India.

Captain Aaron Finch (28) and D'Arcy Short (33) set a sound platform for Australia, who elected to bat after winning the toss, putting on 68 for the first wicket. But after conceding 12 runs from his first over, left-armer Krunal Pandya fought back to take 4-36 — the best figures by a spinner in a T20 international in Australia — and Kuldeep Yadav took 1-19 as India's spinners dominated on a slow SCG pitch.

Australia's Andrew Tye, centre, is congratulated by teammates after dismissing India's Rishabh Pant during their Twenty20 cricket match in Sydney, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)

Kuldeep struck first, removing Finch to a catch by Pandya at backward square, and Australia's innings began to unravel. It lost three wickets for five runs in the space of five balls, including Short and Ben McDermott to consecutive balls from Pandya. That saw Australia slip to 76-3 after 10 overs.

Australia struggled to regain momentum, especially as it chose to bat the big-hitting Chris Lynn down the order, apparently to keep him from facing the spinners. Alex Carey helped the home side regroup, hitting 27 from 10 balls.

Marcus Stoinis added an unbeaten 25 from 15 balls and Nathan Coulter-Nile 13 from seven as Australia took 57 runs from its last five overs.

India's Shikhar Dhawan waves after being named man of the series after their Twenty20 cricket match against Australia in Sydney, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. India won the match and the series is drawn 1-1. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)

The Australian innings did not contain a six and the first of the match came in the fourth over of the India innings when Rohit flicked Coulter-Nile off his hip and deep into the packed grandstands.

Dhawan was the pacemaker, at one stage taking 24 runs in five balls with two sixes and three fours. After five overs India was 62-0 and well on the way to victory.

Zampa brought Australia back into the match when he took the wicket of Sharma. Again, when India threatened to get away, Tye produced the wicket of Rishabh Pant with his first ball and helped put the contest on a more level footing.

India's Virhat Kohli right, celebrates with teammate Dinesh Karthik during their Twenty20 cricket match against Australia in Sydney, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)

After 15 overs, India was 113-4 where Australia had been 107-4. But with Kohli still at the crease, the contest was very much in India's favor and he showed all of his experience in managing the run chase.

When things threatened to stall, he hit a four and a six off Tye in the 16th over to put India back on top.

India came to the last over needing six runs to win. Tye didn't concede a run from his first two balls but Kohli dispatched the next two for fours, the last one down the ground, to clinch India's victory and level the series.

India's Virhat Kohli, left, is congratulated by Australia's captain Aaron Finch after winning their Twenty20 cricket match in Sydney, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)

India's Virhat Kohli, left, is congratulated by Australia's captain Aaron Finch after winning their Twenty20 cricket match in Sydney, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)

India's Virhat Kohli waves his bat to the crowd as he celebrates his team's six wicket win over Australia in their Twenty20 cricket match in Sydney, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers, the NBA's winningest active coach and someone ranking sixth on the league's all-time victory list, hinted Tuesday that he might consider giving up his role on the sideline when this tumultuous Bucks season ends.

Rivers' reason: grandkids.

And put simply, he sounds like someone who wants to spent more time with them.

“I won't answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see,” Rivers told reporters when asked before the Bucks' game in Brooklyn about his future. "I'll put it that way. I'll let you figure it out from there."

The 64-year-old Rivers is going into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this summer. Only Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley have more coaching wins than Rivers — who won the NBA title as a coach with Boston in 2008.

Milwaukee came into the season with championship aspirations, built again around perennial All-Star and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and further bolstered by the acquisition of Myles Turner in free agency last summer. But injuries doomed Milwaukee; the Bucks started 8-5, then lost seven consecutive games to fall under .500 and that's where they stayed the rest of the way.

They haven't been a top-eight team in the Eastern Conference since mid-November, wound up fielding trade offers for Antetokounmpo in February — ultimately deciding to keep him, at least for now — and now are embroiled in a war of words with their best player. He says he wants to play even though the Bucks are out of the playoff picture; the team has kept him out citing injuries.

Antetokounmpo has appeared in 36 games this season, by far the fewest of his 13-year career. The constant speculation about his future in Milwaukee has grated on Rivers for some time, prompting him to say last week that it has been bothersome to incessantly have to deal with questions about the relationship between Antetokounmpo and the franchise.

“The tough part about all this is I’m in the middle when I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers said Friday. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. But, the problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front and we have to sit here and answer this stuff. And I think there are two sides to this. I will tell you that.”

Antetokounmpo's future with the team is certain to be a major topic in the offseason. And now, Rivers' will be as well.

He sounded somewhat reflective last week when formally announced as a Hall inductee.

“Without the players that I’ve coached, without the coaches that I’ve coached with, I wouldn’t be here,” Rivers said when announced as part of this year’s Hall class. “None of us live in isolation. We all live and breathe with other people, and other people help us get to places we are.”

Rivers joined the Bucks midway through the 2023-24 season. He has a number of interests outside of coaching, would likely be a sought-after broadcaster — he's done TV work before — if he steps down from coaching, and indicated that it's difficult to not be present around young grandchildren.

"I have seven grandkids now and they're all 8 years and under," Rivers said. “And it kills me every time I miss grandparents' day with each one of them in school. And it's probably time to go see them more. So, I'll let you figure out the rest.”

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Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductee Doc Rivers speaks during a news conference at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees from left; Joey Crawford, Mike D'Antoni, Mark Few, Doc Rivers, Chamique Holdsclaw, and Amar'e Stoudemire are introduced during a news conference at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductee Doc Rivers speaks during a news conference at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)