AI Simulation, AUS vs IND first T20I | Abhishek, Surya, and Bumrah shine in India’s clinical win

‌Pitch & Weather

A fresh pitch with good bounce and pace early on was on offer before the strip settled down, making batting easier in the second innings.

A cool Canberra evening with a gentle breeze welcomed both sides to Manuka Oval. Though it remained cloudy throughout the game, the rain stayed away, treating a full house to uninterrupted cricketing action.

Toss & Conditions

India won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Lineups

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Tim David, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Hazlewood.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.

Match Report

India started the five-match T20I series with a spirited run chase, beating Australia by five wickets in Canberra on Wednesday. The visitors were well-served by a blazing fifty from Abhishek Sharma, followed by a composed middle-order effort as they took a 1–0 lead in confident style.

Sent in to bat, Australia started aggressively through Travis Head, who made the most of the pacy conditions with the new ball, cracking boundaries through the off-side. Meanwhile, skipper Mitchell Marsh punished anything short from Arshdeep Singh as the pair stitched together a fluent stand in the powerplay. At 70/1 in the eighth over, Australia looked well set for a total beyond 200. But Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah brought India back with wickets at critical junctures during their economic spells. Axar removed the dangerous Head after the southpaw hit five fours and two sixes during his 23-ball 41, while Bumrah went through Marsh’s (38 off 27) defence with a sharp off-cutter. However, Tim David (32) provided a burst of late power with a pair of sixes, while Matthew Short, Josh Inglis, and Marcus Stoinis all chipped in with handy cameos as the hosts finished at 167/7.

India’s reply was electric from the very start as Abhishek Sharma showcased his range with muscled pulls over midwicket and lofted drives over extra cover. He smashed three sixes and six fours while reaching his fifty in just 26 balls to push Australia onto the back foot immediately. Though the openers left in quick succession to give the home side some hope, captain Suryakumar Yadav kept the pressure on them, unsettling the spinners with his trademark sweeps and scoops. Australia, once again, clawed back toward the end of the contest with wickets from Nathan Ellis, including Surya (44 off 25) and Tilak. But their bowling lacked consistency at the death as Sanju Samson closed the game off with a calm and unbeaten 11-ball 17. India went past the target to end at 169/5, sealing victory with five balls remaining, a composed finish befitting their confident chase.

Player of the Match

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma was named Player of the Match for his power-packed 52 off 28 balls during the chase that set the tone for India’s successful reply.

Scorecard