IND vs AUS: 1st T20I Review – India chase down their highest target after Rinku’s finishing touches

The first match of the five-match T20I series between India and Australia was played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam and the hosts clinched the game by two wickets on the last ball to take a 1-0 lead.

Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first as Australia had a poor start, losing Matthew Short early. They scored almost at run-a-ball in the first five overs of the match but then Josh Inglis joined Steven Smith and the two smashed the Indian bowlers all around the park.

They stitched a brilliant 130-run partnership for the second wicket, with Inglis scoring a magnificent century, making 110 off 50 balls. His partner Smith also scored a good fifty, scoring 52. A few lusty blows by Tim David in the end propelled the Aussies to a huge 208 runs in 20 overs.

Chasing the target, India had the worst possible start as opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was run out without facing a single ball. Yashasvi Jaiswal from the other end looked great, but he could only score 21 off eight balls before being dismissed. Then captain Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan stitched a brilliant 112-run partnership for the third wicket to bring India back into the game. Ishan got out after playing a brilliant innings of 58.

Surya from the other end kept smashing the Aussie bowlers at will and played a brilliant knock of 80 runs off 42 balls with nine fours and four sixes. Towards the end, Rinku Singh’s quickfire 28 off 14 balls secured a two-wicket victory for India even as a flurry of wickets fell following Suryakumar’s dismissal.

Top Performers of the Match

Josh Inglis (110 of 50)

Josh Inglis continued his good World Cup form and smashed a brilliant century to kick off the five-match series. He smashed 11 fours and eight sixes in his brilliant 110-run knock, but his brilliance with the bat went in vain as his team couldn’t secure a victory in the match.

Mukesh Kumar (0/29)

Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar might have gone wicketless but he was easily the best bowler in a game that saw over 400 runs scored in 40 overs. Mukesh delivered pinpoint yorkers and bowled with the most discipline on the night, conceding merely 29 runs in his quota, including a brilliant and impactful last over.

What’s Next

Both teams are set to face each other in the second T20 of the series at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on November 26.