Only 58 balls of play were possible during which India scored 97 before the first T20I was called off due to persistent rain at Manuka Oval in Canberra. The highlight of the abandoned game was the runs from the bats of skipper Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill against a largely inexperienced Australian bowling attack.
Ahead of the start of the series, much of the chatter revolved around Surya and his form in T20Is. Ever since being named the full-time T20I skipper he has averaged around 25, with just two fifties to his name. Before smashing an unbeaten 39 in Canberra, the right-handed batter had accumulated only 100 runs in 11 innings.
Overcast conditions and an in-form Josh Hazlewood welcomed Surya to the crease. Banged in short, Surya left the first ball and was squared up by the second. Hazlewood then bowled a length delivery angling into the stumps, which was stylishly whipped away by Surya, a shot that must have bolstered his confidence. Three balls later, it started drizzling and the players had to walk off.
When play resumed, Surya and Gill came out with intent to attack as the game was reduced to 18 overs per side. The pair added 54 runs in 4.4 overs before the heavens opened up once again, forcing the game to end early. Of those 54 runs, 30 came off Surya’s bat. There was plenty of promise in the way he batted. Early on he struggled a bit. Xavier Bartlett almost had him caught at mid-on, but Josh Philippe dropped the catch in the eighth over. At one stage, he was 25 off 20 deliveries before scoring 14 runs off the final four balls he faced.
Time spent at the crease will help Surya in the coming matches. Gill, on the other hand, was the aggressor in the 62-run partnership with Surya. Having not made any substantial scores since his comeback to the T20I side, Gill was also under a bit of pressure. The 26-year-old survived the first spell from Hazlewood before capitalising on the errors made by the other Australian bowlers. He picked off the boundaries from the loose deliveries bowled by the hosts, never appearing desperate to find the rope. His patience paid off, with a full toss, an overpitched delivery and a drag down all resulting in boundaries.
Before taking the aggressive route, Gill was happy to play second fiddle while Abhishek Sharma was at the crease. Playing his first game Down Under, the swashbuckling batter looked fluent for his 14-ball 19 before a slower delivery deceived him.
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz