T20I: India defeat Australia by two wickets, crucial knocks from Surya and Ishan
In the first T20 International of the five-match series, Skipper Suryakumar Yadav led from the front with the help of Ishan Kishan to give an inexperienced India an exhilarating two-wicket victory over Australia. Despite chasing a daunting target of 209 runs, Suryakumar Yadav scored 80 off 42 balls, and Kishan made 58 off 39 balls to steer India to victory in the last ball of the match.
India managed to win the game with Rinku Singh's unbeaten 22 off 14 balls, including a six towards the end. Australia's Tanveer Sangha, who is of Indian descent, picked up two wickets for his team while Josh Inglis scored his maiden century in the format to power Australia to 208 for three after being sent into bat. Inglis hammered 110 off just 50 balls, with 11 boundaries and eight sixes, to help Australia set a challenging target of 209 for India.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, after winning the toss, decided to bowl first against Australia. Suryakumar expects some dew later on. Batting first, Matthew Short was departed by Ravi Bishnoi as he bowled him in the 4th delivery of the 5th over. Following this, Steven Smith and Josh Inglis paced up the innings and set a partnership of over a hundred runs.
Inglis scored his first T20I century in just 47 balls and made 110 runs in just 50 balls before being sent to the pavilion by Y Jaiswal and Mukesh Kumar. On the contrary, Steven Smith (52) completed his half-century and then was RUN OUT on the 5th delivery by Mukesh Kumar of the 16th over. Australia scored 208/3 runs in 20 overs and gave India a target of 209 runs to chase.
The Indian team selected for the Australia T20 series comprises mostly new players in international cricket. Many of these players were also part of the Asian Games gold medal-winning squad. It is worth noting that Axar Patel, the spinner who had to withdraw from the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 due to an injury, has made a comeback. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson, the wicketkeeper-batsman, is among the notable players who didn't make it to the team.
In contrast to their opponents, the Australian cricket team has decided to maintain much of the same lineup that recently won the ICC World Cup trophy in Ahmedabad. They have given rest to a few key players, such as Pat Cummins and David Warner. All eyes will be on left-handed batter Travis Head, who was named the Man of the Match for the final and led the Aussies to their 6th World Cup title with his century.
