In a thrilling display of batting prowess, a relatively inexperienced Indian side, led by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, pulled off a stunning two-wicket victory over Australia in the opening match of the five-match T20I series in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Chasing a daunting target of 209, India displayed remarkable composure and resilience to secure the win on the final ball of the match.
The tone for India's chase was set by the explosive Suryakumar Yadav, who anchored the innings with a scintillating 80 off 42 balls. His knock was a masterclass in timing and power, punctuated by a flurry of boundaries and sixes. Yadav's innings was ably complemented by Ishan Kishan, who contributed a valuable 58 off 39 balls.
The duo's partnership of 110 runs provided India with a solid platform to launch their chase. However, after their dismissals, the run-chase became a bit more challenging. This is where the young Rinku Singh stepped up to the plate.
Singh, playing in just his second T20I, showed remarkable composure and maturity beyond his years. He remained unbeaten on 22 off 14 balls, guiding India home with a six off the final ball of the match. His innings showcased his ability to handle pressure and his maturity in big-game situations.
India's victory was a testament to the talent and depth of their batting resources. Despite missing some of their key players, the young guns showed that they have the ability to step up and perform on the big stage. The win will undoubtedly boost India's confidence going into the remaining matches of the series.
Very happy with the way the boys played. Was very happy with their energy, we were put under pressure but the way everyone showed up was amazing. It’s a proud moment, very proud moment, everytime you play, you think about representing India but coming out here and captaining India is a big moment. Thought there will be a little bit of dew but there wasn’t. It isn’t a big ground and I knew batting will get easy. Thought they might get 230-235 but the bowlers did really well. Just enjoy and express yourself. We’ve been in such situations many times in franchise cricket, just told Ishan to enjoy himself. We knew what was going to happen. I left the luggage of captaincy in the dressing room. I try to enjoy my batting. The atmosphere was amazing, thanks to the crowd. Was great to see how the boys kept their nerves. Was great to see Rinku, the situation was tailor-made for him. He was calm and collected, calmed me down a little bit. Incredible achievement from the bowlers to restrict them to this total after the 16th over. India skipper and Player of the Match | Suryakumar Yadav
It was a good match in the end. Inglis got us a score we thought we could defend but the Indians came hard at us. These young Indians play a lot of IPL and T20 cricket. Thought we bowled pretty well, but just couldn’t nail our yorkers, easier said than done especially on a small ground like this. Lot of positives to take out from this game. Inglis was class. We thought we did fairly well, Ellis bowled a big over for us to take it into the final over, it went down to the last ball so it shows how close it was. Australia skipper Matthew Wade after defeat
India (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna
Australia (Playing XI): Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w/c), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha
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