Visakhapatnam: India and Australia were back in combat form on the cricket field just four days after the ODI World Cup final.
This time, it’s a bilateral T20 International series and the Aussies started where they left off in their World Cup-lifting performance on November 19.
Asked to bat first after stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav – only Indian from the losing XI in World Cup final — won the toss in the series-opener, Australia rode a swashbuckling century from wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis to post 208/3.
Inglis, who went in at No. 3 after Matthew Short was cleaned up by leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi in the fifth over, went hammer and tongs at the Indian bowlers to race to 100 off just 47 balls.
The right-hander, one of three players who featured in the World Cup, was eventually caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal off Prasidh Krishna’s bowling for 110 off 50 deliveries, which included 10 fours and 8 sixes.
Steve Smith (52 off 41) opened the innings and played second fiddle in a 130-run second-wicket partnership with the dominant Inglis.
All bowlers suffered at Inglis’ hands but for medium-pacer Mukesh Kumar (4-0-29-0), who conceded only 5 runs in the final over.
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