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We now come to the end of our coverage of the first T20I between India and Australia. Both sides put up a fine show today - worth every penny for the crowd that turned up at Visakhapatnam, and the hosts, having hit the right notes more often, emerge as winners on the day. Both teams will now head further south - Thiruvananthapuram will be gearing up for the 2nd T20I between these two sides on Sunday! Join us right here on Sportskeeda for our coverage of the same, and keep an eye on our tabs for a whole lot more! This is Rajarshi, signing off on behalf of Shashwat. Good night!
Suryakumar Yadav is the Player Of The Match! Here's what he has to say: Very happy with the way the boys displayed themselves on the field, also the energy we put in. Loved it how everyone came back in the field under pressure. Very proud moment to captain the country, to represent the country will take some time to sink in. I felt there'll be a little bit of dew, but there was no help that way. It's a small ground, though, the wicket gets better later on. We thought a par score'd be 220 or 230, but the bowlers took us back in the game. Just told them to go out and express themselves, only one way to go after being 30 for 2! We've been in that situation plenty of times for both franchise and country. I just told Kishan to forget what we're chasing and keep batting the way he does. After 10 overs, it was a tailor-made situation - 100 off 60! I try and enjoy my batting whenever I go out there. Great support from everyone at the ground, and I enjoyed myself out there. Great to see how the boys kept their nerves. Rinku's calmness and composure assured me. All three fast bowlers pulled us back in the game after the 16th over, which was incredible.
Matthew Wade, Australia captain: It was a good match in the end. Josh Inglis played a terrific knock and got us a score we thought we could defend, but India came out hard. These Indians coming out of the IPL show they're made for International cricket and they showed their class today. We had pretty clear plans on what to bowl, ran our fingers over the ball a little bit, yorkers towards the end, easier said than done. Behrendorff was terrific today, young Sangha kept us in the game with the wickets. Lot of positives to take out of the game, 4 more games to go. To see Inglis come out at three and play his shots, he's a class player on the night. Really happy for him. We just wanted to hang in the game, Ellis bowled a great over which gave us a chance. Credit to the boys in hanging in.
Ishan Kishan: (On the conditions) The bowlers did a great job. We were put under pressure in the middle. Credit goes to Mukesh Kumar. We went in with good intent, credit goes to the team. It is a young side and everyone was eager to do well. The way Rinku played, playing his first game against a big team, putting on this show, shows how capable he is. (Conversations with Surya) We were supposed to put together a good partnership. We did not want to leave too many runs for the other batters. Credit to Surya bhai also, he took the pressure off me. Hopefully I can finish the game next time. Plan was to not get out, but even if I got out, to not leave too many runs for the lower order. He (Surya) was talking to me, asking me to take singles and not go too overboard. Even in the over I got out, he wanted me to take a single (smiles). The communication was good and it was in that middle phase that we got the runs we needed on the board. Really happy because it is a young side. Most of them have not played against such a big side. They will make mistakes but we will talk about it in the meetings and hopefully come back stronger.
Match summary:
India win by 2 wickets off the last ball of the match
A contest that had very little hype, but built one on its own across the 40 overs! This is the highest successful run-chase by India in T20Is - they were never really out of it - they stuttered a fair bit heading towards the closing stages of the run-chase, but Rinku held his nerve amidst the chaos, and got his team past the line eventually. Most of the Australian bowlers redeemed themselves from the middle overs, but they conceded far too many across that stage, which left them with too much to do at the end.
While Yashasvi was the one who set the tone, it was a 112-run partnership between Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav which tilted the game towards the hosts for good. Jaiswal was up and running right away, clobbering 10 off the first over from Stoinis, but was involved in an ugly mix-up with Gaikwad which left the latter stranded. Jaiswal looked to keep going, but a couple of overs later, he spooned a catch to Smith at mid off.
Kishan found the going really tough early on, having been kept quiet by Behrendorff's away-swingers. However, the introduction of Tanveer Sangha was like a breath of fresh air for him - Ishan simply tore into the leggie having been dished a few in his arc! Of course, then there was Suryakumar Yadav on his business at the other end, using his wrists beautifully to dispatch the Australia bowlers to all parts!
India kept the tempo up throughout the middle overs, finding the boundary in another each over. Sangha then claimed both Kishan and Tilak Varma with wide googlies, not before going for plenty against both, though. Suryakumar, though, kept going, brought up a half-century of his own, and got the equation down to a run-a-ball.
Suryakumar's wicket seemed to give the Aussies a ray of hope, with the Indian skipper being pouched rather spectacularly. Ellis' hard lengths had Axar swinging at thin air, he skied one and was brilliantly held by Abbott the final over. Rinku then had India ahead when he punched a full delivery from Abbott past mid off in the last over, but a couple of run outs took the match to the final delivery.
The scores were level by then, though, and with Abbott overstepping, India were home in the nick of time. Rinku made doubly sure of it by clobbering the last ball deep into the stands at long on.
Of course! It might have come a touch too late, but Rinku delivers the knockout blow! Tell you what - he didn't even need to do that - the one run was completed right when Abbott overstepped! India claim the honours in the first of 5 T20Is!
19.6 Sean Abbott to Rinku Singh, RINKU HOLDS HIS NERVE AND TAKES INDIA PAST THE FINISH LINE! AND HE DOES IT EMPHATICALLY! In the slot on middle and leg, and Rinku, away from all the pressure, is just waiting for it. Swings through the line and clatters it clean over the bowler's head. The No ball siren goes off too, meaning that even if Rinku had not made contact, India would have won. But he made contact, and what a way to finish off the game. In style, and without batting an eyelid! Don't want to put a dampener to proceedings but the six will not count because the No ball will take precedence and India needed just one run. Take nothing away from Rinku Singh, though!
Almost every single fielder's inside the circle - barring one - a fielder's at mid-wicket!
Mukesh Kumar, RHB, comes to the crease
This game just doesn't seem to end! There was always going to be two there - Arshdeep was far, far too slow in making it back! That's two diamond ducks we've had this innings! The scores are level, Rinku still has the strike, and we are in for a last-ball finish...or is there more to this game?
19.5 Sean Abbott to Rinku Singh, ANOTHER RUN OUT! Back of a length outside off. Rinku winds up and heaves it powerfully towards Smith at long on. He has to run to his left but he gathers cleanly and then fires it accurately enough at the bowler's end. Abbott takes it in his stride and then reverse-flicks the ball onto the stumps. Arshdeep is well short, and India need 1 off 1 now!
Arshdeep Singh run out (Steven Smith/Sean Abbott) 0 (0b, 0x4, 0x6)
Arshdeep Singh, LHB, comes to the crease
Yet another bit of smart work on the field from Abbott! The only positive aspect for India off that ball - Rinku Singh has regained the strike! 2 needed off 2...
19.4 Sean Abbott to Ravi Bishnoi, BISHNOI RUN OUT AT THE BOWLER'S END! IT IS ALL HAPPENING HERE! Banged in short on off and this whistles through. Bishnoi is awfully late on the stroke and gets nowhere close to it. Wade shies at the batter's end and misses. But the throw is eventually collected by Abbott, who whips off the bails and sends Bishnoi packing! Only good thing for India is that Rinku is back on strike!
Ravi Bishnoi run out (Matthew Wade/Sean Abbott) 0 (1b, 0x4, 0x6)
Ravi Bishnoi, RHB, comes to the crease
Ah, Abbott claims Axar with a superb return catch! Gee whiz, the Aussies keep outdoing themselves in the catching department today! 2 off 3 is the equation, but India have a rather long tail here. Game's still on...
19.3 Sean Abbott to Axar Patel, IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Dug in short and this looks like another cutter. Axar swings for the hills and loses his shape horribly. Skies it and Abbott, after a bit of hesitation on who was going for the catch, holds onto the chance. There is life in this game still...
Axar Patel c & b Sean Abbott 2 (6b, 0x4, 0x6)
19.2 Sean Abbott to Rinku Singh, hard length outside off. Seems to hold in the surface and that meddles with Rinku's timing. He connects with fresh air but the ball bounces right in front of Wade, who fumbles and allows a bye
Inches past the diving backward point fielder! David was a touch late in getting there as well...just a matter of a boundary for India here!
19.1 Sean Abbott to Rinku Singh, FOUR FIRST BALL! Perhaps the worst ball to bowl at this stage, with third man and backward point up. Rinku uses the width, swings himself off his feet and carves it over backward point for four!
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I Kishan
S Smith
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Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
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