Player of the Match (POTM) Suryakumar Yadav couldn't have asked for a better start as captain of India at the international level as he helped the Men in Blue defeat Australia in the 1st T20I of the five-match series by two wickets at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, November 23.
However, it turned out to be a Josh Inglis show up front as he pummeled India's bowling attack on a beautiful batting surface in Visakhapatnam. Inglis (110 off 50 balls) hammered the Indian attack and helped Australia get their noses in front in the first innings.
The wicketkeeper-batter didn't let the two Indian spinners, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi settle down and find their rhythm and kept his foot on the accelerator while Steve Smith accumulated runs at his own pace. The duo added 130 runs for the second wicket and helped the visitors recover after an early setback which came in the form of Matthew Short's dismissal.
Inglis' knock comprised 11 fours and eight sixes and allowed Smith to take his time at the other end. Smith scored a 41-ball 52 with the help of eight fours and didn't let the Indian bowlers penetrate the Australian batting order. Inglis scored the maiden ton of his international career with a cheeky four towards third in the 16th over.
Tim David swung his marauding bat at the death and helped Australia scale the 200-run mark in their 20 overs. David scored an unbeaten 19 off 13 balls, including two fours and a six.
In reply, India got off to a poor start as a miscommunication in the middle between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad cost the latter his wicket and he got run out. Jaiswal couldn't last long either and departed after scoring 21 runs off eight deliveries.
India needed a strong partnership and it came in the form of a 122-run stand between Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav for the third wicket. Ishan was slow to get off the blocks but compensated for the same as he scored 58 off 39 balls before getting out in the 13th over.
But it didn't deter Surya, who looked his imperious best and toyed with the Aussie attack. The 33-year-old batter scored 80 off 42 balls and found boundaries with ease throughout the course of his innings. His innings included nine fours and four sixes and came at a strike rate of 190.47 to ensure India had the asking rate under their grasp throughout the course of their chase.
He perished while trying to launch Jason Behrendorff down the ground for a maximum as he couldn't get the timing right and Aaron Hardie grabbed a stunning catch running back. Suryakumar's dismissal did jeopardise India's chance of winning the game but a cool and composed Rinku Singh held his nerve to help the hosts claim the cliffhanger at the end.
