Surya Kumar Yadav shines in rain marred 1st T20I vs Australia, No result due to rains

 

After losing the ODI series, India had hoped to bounce back in the T20Is — but rain had other plans. The opening T20 match between India and Australia in Canberra on Wednesday was washed out after persistent showers interrupted play multiple times. India managed to bat for only 9.4 overs before the umpires were forced to call off the game.

After losing the toss, India — led by Suryakumar Yadav — were put in to bat, aiming to return home with a series win. However, rain had been forecast throughout the evening, and the chilly, overcast conditions clearly favored the Australian bowlers. Notably, Suryakumar left out key players like Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Arshdeep Singh from the playing XI.

Abhishek Sharma, who had impressed in the Asia Cup, struggled to get going in the damp conditions. He was eventually dismissed by Nathan Ellis for 19 off 14 balls in the fourth over. Suryakumar then walked in to bat, under scrutiny for his recent dip in form — having scored just 100 runs in his last 11 innings.

But the Indian T20 captain silenced critics with a fluent knock, despite the repeated rain breaks. He started cautiously, scoring just 12 runs from his first 10 balls, but shifted gears after crossing 20. During his innings, Suryakumar became the fastest Indian to hit 150 sixes in T20 internationals. He remained unbeaten on 39 off 24 balls, while Shubman Gill supported him well with 37 off 20 deliveries.

Unfortunately, the match couldn’t resume after India reached 80 for 1 in 9.4 overs, and it was eventually abandoned due to persistent rain.