India beat Australia by two wickets in chase of 209 in the five-match T20I series opener at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Thursday (Nov 23). Under Suryakumar Yadav, India opted to bowl first but Josh Inglis’ 50-ball 110 propelled Australia to 208 for 3 in 20 overs. In reply, India were on the back foot at 22 for 2 before Ishan Kishan’s 39-ball 58, Surya’s 42-ball 80 and Rinku Singh’s 14-ball 22 not out took India past the finish line in 19.5 overs after Sean Abbott bowled a no-ball on the final delivery, with two needed for a win.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After the triumph, India achieved a special feat as they have now become the side with the most successful run-chases of 200 or more in the shortest format of the game. India went past the finish line for the fifth time during a run-chase of 200 or more, surpassing South Africa’s tally (4).
Most successful run-chases of 200 or more in T20Is
5 – India
4 – South Africa
3 – Pakistan
3 – Australia
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At the post-match presentation, stand-in captain SKY said, “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.
He added, “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.”
The second T20I will be held at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (Nov 26). A young Indian team will be looking to surge their lead going forward and make a strong statement ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, in West Indies and USA.
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