In the first T20I match of the five-match bilateral series, India defeated Australia by two wickets at the Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
Team India won the toss and opted to field first. The Men in Blue didn’t look impressive enough tonight with the ball, as they only managed to get three wickets. Though it was a batting paradise at Vizag, Mukesh Kumar and Axar Patel were strict with their economies, as both just averaged below 8. This was one of the major factors in keeping the Aussies for 208 runs. Another 15 to 20 runs more and it would have looked difficult for the Indian side to chase.
In the chase, the home team lost its first wicket in the first over itself but from the other end, Yashasvi Jaiswal (21) got off to a flying start. Later on, Ishan Kishan (58) and Suryakumar Yadav (80) also struck half-centuries, which helped the side reach the target quite comfortably. Both batters added 112 runs for the third wicket partnership, in which Kishan hit two fours and five sixes, whereas skipper SKY hit nine fours and four sixes. Towards the end, Rinku Singh (22*) also hit four fours to take India beyond the victory line. With one to get on the last ball, Sean Abbott bowled a no ball, to which Rinku had hit a maximum. As it was a no ball, the six was not counted, and only one run of the no-ball was given.
The Aussies, while batting first, got off to a decent start, with Steven Smith (52) scoring an impressive fifty. The right-handed batter played at a strike rate of 126, which included eight fours. Along with him, it was Josh Inglis (110), who scored an outstanding century at a strike rate of 220, which consisted of 11 fours and eight fours.
While bowling first, only two bowlers got their names on the wicket-taking list: Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi. Both bowlers scalped one wicket each.
For Australia with the ball, Tanveer Sangha got two wickets, whereas Jason Behrendorff, Matthew Short, and Sean Abbott plucked one wicket each.
Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged Player of the Match for his outstanding batting show. Following this win, India have secured the lead in the series by 1-0.
Scorecard:
Australia: 208/3, Overs 20, Josh Inglis 110, Prasidh Krishna 1/50
India: 209/8, Overs 19.5, Suryakumar Yadav 80, Tanveer Sangha 2/47