VISAKHAPATNAM, India — Just four days after losing the Cricket World Cup final, India beat Australia by two wickets in the first Twenty20 internationaI match on Thursday despite conceding three wickets in three balls of the final over.
Both teams rested key players after their lengthy World Cup campaigns which saw India win its first 10 matches before losing Sunday’s final to Australia by six wickets.
Josh Inglis scored the joint fastest T20 ton for Australia, reaching the landmark in 47 balls to match Aaron Finch’s onslaught against England in 2013. But it wasn’t enough as India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s 80 runs in 42 balls proved crucial to the chase. India finished with 209-8 in 19.5 overs in reply to Australia’s 208-3.
India’s batters made it a dramatic final over bowled by Sean Abbott with three wickets lost off the third, fourth and fifth balls. Rinku Singh then smashed Abbott over long on for six. That didn’t count because the pacer had bowled a no ball, which by itself was sufficient for an Indian win.
Ishan Kishan hit 58 off 39 for India which won the toss and chose to bowl.
Inglis scored his first T20 hundred and finished with 110 off only 50 balls, including 11 fours and eight sixes overall. Inglis raced to 50 off 29 balls, with three sixes. He smashed the next 50 off just 18 balls.
Steve Smith, who opened the batting, hit a 41-ball 52 on a friendly wicket. After Matthew Short went for 13, trapped lbw by wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi (1-54), Smith and Inglis added 130 off 67 balls for the second wicket.
Yadav hit nine fours and four sixes in India’s chase for his 16th half-century in T20 internationals. He put on 112 runs off 60 balls for the third wicket with Kishan.
India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad got a dreaded diamond duck after being run out for zero runs without facing a delivery.
Yadav, along with Kishan and pacer Prasidh Krishna, were part of India’s World Cup squad. Matthew Wade led Australia after several members of the World Cup-winning squad flew back home, including captain Pat Cummins and opener David Warner.
The second T20 match is at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
The bilateral series is part of the 2024-2027 Future Tours’ Cycle.
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