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India defeated Australia by one wicket in a thrilling first T20I of the five-match series at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Vishakapatnam. The match was played just four days after India's heartbreaking defeat to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Suryakumar Yadav and Co, however, delivered a quality performance.
Josh Inglis' inspired 110 off 50 balls did put India under some pressure, but Mukesh Kumar's economical spell, especially at the death, helped restrict the target to 209. Ishan Kishan and SKY steadied the ship after the openers fell cheaply and it was the latter who stood tall, making a 42-ball 80. Despite a late collapse, Rinku Singh remained calm to take India home.
It was a much-needed win that gave some respite to the Indian fans, although the pain of the WC final defeat still lingers. This isn't the first time India responded positively in a bilateral contest after a defeat in an ICC knockout game. Let's look at three other instances.
#3 Win by 9 wickets vs Zimbabwe, June 2016
The 2016 T20 World Cup defeat was a tough one to handle for the Indian cricket team as it came at home with Virat Kohli in his prime. India recorded some memorable wins en route to the semi-finals, where they faced Darren Sammy's West Indies at the Eden Gardens.
Despite a Kohli masterclass with the bat and a wicket with the ball, Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell took them home as India's hopes of a second WT20 title were crushed.
With the IPL immediately after that, India's first international game after the knockout punch was a tour of Zimbabwe in June. First up were the ODIs, and India comprehensively won the first one courtesy of a hundred on debut for KL Rahul.
On a slightly difficult batting surface, Zimbabwe could score only 168, with Bumrah picking up a four-wicket haul. In reply, India lost Karun Nair early, but KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu were solid in their defense and carried India home to a nine-wicket win with Rahul scoring 100 off 115 balls.
#2 Win by 65 runs vs NZ, November 2022
India were thrashed by England in the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Only a week after that defeat, they were scheduled to play in a three-match T20I series against New Zealand.
After the first match was washed out, the second T20I was effectively the first game India played after their knockout defeat to England, and they absolutely stunned the hosts.
With regulars like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Axar Patel rested, India were led by Hardik Pandya. Opportunities were provided to the likes of Deepak Hooda and Washington Sundar, with Rishabh Pant trialed as an opener.
India batted first and it was a SKY show all the way. The No.1 T20I batter showcased his class, making an unbeaten 51-ball 111 to single-handedly take India to 191/6 with little contributions from elsewhere.
The Indian bowlers came to the party and never let the Kiwi batters run away, with Deepak Hooda surprisingly emerging as the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 4/10 as New Zealand were bowled out for 126. India registered a thumping and morale-boosting win only ten days after a bad defeat.
#1 Win by 4 wickets vs WI, August 2019
India's semi-final defeat to New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup still hurts many Indian fans. It was probably hard to recover for the team as well. India's next assignment after the World Cup was a tour of the West Indies that began with three T20Is.
MS Dhoni's absence was the most noticeable change from the WC defeat, but India were handed a boost by Shikhar Dhawan's return from injury. While many fans may expected a straightforward win for India, it wasn't to be on a tricky surface in the first T20I in Florida.
Batting first, the West Indies could only manage 95/9 in 20 overs, with Navdeep Saini's impressive spell of 3/17 in four overs leading the way for India. The West Indies bowlers bowled tight lines and made things difficult for India.
But handy contributions from Krunal Pandya and Manish Pandey helped India to a four-wicket win in their first match post the defeat in the 2019 WC semifinal.
