Skipper's 80 off 42 trumps Inglis ton as India chase down 209 vs Aussies in last-ball thriller
VISAKHAPATNAM: The relatively inexperienced Indian bowling got the stick, but the batters stood up and made it count with skipper Suryakumar Yadav leading from the front as the hosts carved up a nail-biting two-wicket victory over Australia in the first of the five T20Is at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Stadium, here on Thursday night.
There was drama plenty as India needed seven runs to win in the last over with five wickets in hand but pacer Sean Abbott had other ideas. Rinku Singh got a four and a single but India lost three wickets in the next three balls to make it an edge of the seat encounter. Rinku (28no), however, struck the next ball - which incidentally was ruled a no-ball- for a six to settle the issue.
With most of the seniors from both sides rested, it was left to the young guns to showcase their potential and liven up the night in a game which went down to the wire. It was a bold and fearless cricket from the youngsters which made up for the absence of the top stars. If it was Josh Inglis (110) who stole the show in the first half of the evening with a sparkling century, then it was SKY (80) and Ishan Kishan (58) who showed that they are game for any challenge with robust half-centuries. But in the end, it was the final over bowled by Mukesh Kumar, in which he gave away only 5 runs, that made all the difference.
1/10:1st T20I: Suryakumar Yadav leads India stat attack against Australia
AFP
2/10:India beat Australia
<p>India's two-wicket win is their second successful 200-plus run chase against Australia in T20Is after the six-wicket win at Rajkot in 2013. </p>Getty Images
3/10:Team India
<p>India is the only team to complete five successful run-chases of 200 or more in T20Is. </p>Getty Images
4/10:India's highest successful run chase
<p>The 209-run chase win in Visakhapatnam is India's highest successful run chase in T20Is. </p>PTI
5/10:India's highest total against Australia
<p>209/8 is India's highest total against Australia in T20Is, eclipsing the 208/6 at Mohali on September 20, 2022. </p>Getty Images
6/10:Suryakumar Yadav
<p>Suryakumar Yadav (42-ball-80) slammed the highest individual score on captaincy debut for India in T20Is. </p>AFP
7/10:SKY is the limit
<p>Suryakumar Yadav eclipsed the 62 by KL Rahul vs Afghanistan at Dubai on September 8, 2022. </p>AFP
8/10:Man of the Match
<p>Suryakumar Yadav was named the Player-of-the-Match for the 13th time in T20Is, his second award against Australia. </p>AFP
9/10:Ishan Kishan
<p>Ishan Kishan joined MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant to hit two 50-plus scores by designated wicketkeepers for India in T20Is. KL Rahul heads the list with 3. </p>Getty Images
10/10:Josh Inglis
<p>With his maiden T20I ton, Josh Inglis equalled the Australian record of Aaron Finch to hit a T20I hundred off 47 balls. </p>Getty ImagesAsked to bat first, Australia, who rested World Cup heroes Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa, had enough fireworks in their arsenal as they cruised to 208 for three. But the bowlers did not match the effort as their erratic line made things easy for the Indian batters. The 12 wides that the Australians conceded compounded their woes on the field.
The Indians took up the challenge and began their chase with a flourish as Yashasvi Jaiswal struck Marcus Stoinis for a boundary and a six but Ruturaj Gaikwad (0), was unfortunately run out off the fifth ball. Yashasvi (21; 8b; 2x4, 2x6) too didn't last long as he was snapped up by Smith off Matthew Short.
SKY joined Ishan Kishan and the duo went after the Australian attack. The Indian skipper rode his luck but Kishan was rock solid and struck some lethal blows. They added 112 for the third wicket to set the house on fire. Kishan struck five huge sixes and two fours in his 39-ball 58. In the process, Kishan got his fifth T20I half-century. SKY went on to get his 16th half-century before he fell for a 42-ball 80 (9x4, 4x6).
Earlier, Inglis, gave glimpses of his immense potential as he struck his maiden century - in his 13th T20I game - to the delight of the crowd. His sparkling 110 came off just 50 balls with 11 hits to the fence and eight over it. Some of the shots were so well executed that even Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was left amazed.
Being asked to bat first by SKY, the Australians made good use of the opportunity. Though Matthew Short fell (13) with 31 on the board, veteran campaigner Steve Smith, who opened the innings, and Inglis put the relatively inexperienced Indian attack to the sword.
After two dot balls, Smith struck Arshdeep Singh for a boundary and that set the tone for the rest of the innings. In between leggie Ravi Bishnoi threatened to trouble the Aussies but the three chances that he missed cost the Indians dear.
1/10:1st T20I: Surya, Rinku help India chase down 209 against Australia
Getty Images
2/10:India's record chase
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav's 42-ball 80 and an unbeaten cameo by Rinku Singh helped the hosts chase down an Indian best of 209 against Australia.AFP
3/10:Rinku Singh's heroics
Rinku, a left-hand batsman who hit 22 off 14 balls, smashed a six that was not counted as the run off the no-ball got India past their previous best chase of 208 against the West Indies in 2019.AFP
4/10:'Chase master' Rinku Singh
Needing seven off the last over, India lost three succesive wickets including two run outs on ball four and five before chase-master Rinku got the team to victory after Sean Abbott bowled a no-ball.PTI
5/10:Suryakumar's captaincy debut
"Very happy with the way the boys displayed the talent on the field. We were put under pressure, but the way everyone came back into the game, was great," Suryakumar said of the win.ANI
6/10:Key partnership
Suryakumar's 112-run third-wicket stand with Ishan Kishan, who smashed a 39-ball 58, proved key after the hosts lost their openers on 22.PTI
7/10:Inglis' explosive century
Josh Inglis smashed 110 off 50 balls -- his maiden international ton -- to guide Australia to 208-3 after being invited to bat first on a batting-friendly pitch.PTI
8/10:Australia's blistering partnership
Australia lost an early wicket before Inglis, who smashed 110 off 50 balls, joined Steve Smith, who made 52 before being run out, to hammer 130 runs off 67 balls in a blistering partnership.PTI
9/10:Australia's T20 World Cup preparation
Australia rested many of their ODI stars -- including Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa -- as they plan for the T20 World Cup in June.PTI
10/10:Next match in Thiruvananthapuram
The second T20I match between India and Australia will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.PTIIn his first over and the fifth of the innings, he failed to latch onto a return catch offered by Smith (15). Later in his second over and the 9th of the innings, he failed to collect a sharp return at the bowler's end with Inglis (36) well out of the crease. Bishnoi had another miss in the 18th over when he dropped Marcus Stoinis off a Prasidh Krishna delivery.
There was no looking back as the Aussie duo went on the rampage - particularly Inglis. Neither the pacers nor the spinners made any impression on Inglis as he scored at will. With Smith playing the second fiddle gleefully, Inglis brooked no stopping as he pulled out different shots from his cap.
Smith joined the party in the 16th over as he struck Mukesh Kumar for two boundaries to bring up his 5th T20I half-century. The Indians, however, had the much-needed stroke of luck as Smith (52), who slipped while playing a shot, was run out at the non-striker's end.
Inglis followed soon but Stoinis (7) and Tim David (19) helped the side cross the 200-run mark. Pacer Mukesh Kumar's last over yielded just five runs as he was the pick of the bowlers, conceding 29 in his four overs.
