Visakhapatnam: Four days after losing the ODI World Cup final to Australia, Indian fans had something to cheer about, though in a bilateral series and in T20 format.
Stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav led from the front to help Team India sneak a high-scoring game by 2 wickets off the final delivery.
After Josh Inglis’ scintillating 50-ball 110 helped Australia post 208/3 in 20 overs, Surya (80 off 42 balls, 9×4, 4×6) and Ishan Kishan (58 off 39 balls, 2×4, 3×6) stitched a crucial 112-run partnership for the third wicket.
India, however, survived some final-over hiccups. Needing 7 runs in 6 balls, the home team lost 3 wickets – including 2 run outs – before established finisher Rinku Singh sealed the deal with a final-ball six off Sean Abbott.
Brief scores: Australia 208/3 in 20 overs (Josh Inglis 110, Steve Smith 52). India 214/8 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 80, Ishan Kishan 58, Rinku Singh 28 not out).
Result: India won by 2 wickets.
2nd T20I: At Thiruvananthapuram on Nov, 26.