Who said what - top 5 reactions to India's first T20I win over Australia ft. Abhishek Nayar
Team India recorded a thrilling two-wicket win over Australia in the first T20I of the five-match series in Vishakapatnam on Thursday. The Men in Blue recorded their highest successful run chase in the format by scaling down the 209-run target set by the Aussies.
Steve Smith's exploits as an opener coupled with Josh Inglis' record-equalling ton propelled Australia to a commanding total after Suryakumar Yadav elected to bowl first.
The new skipper walked the talk by top-scoring during the run chase and was given company by Ishan Kishan, who stepped up with a half-century. While Team India almost made a meal of the run chase in the final overs, Rinku Singh's composure helped the hosts cross the line with a ball to spare.
On that note, let us take a look at the top five reactions to India's first T20I win over Australia.
#1 Dinesh Karthik
The veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter shared a heartfelt story showcasing the bond between Rinku Singh and Abhishek Nayar. The pair have worked closely together for years in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and they were seen sharing a hug following the contest. Nayar was present at the venue as part of the broadcast team.
Karthik took to Twitter to narrate how the bond between Nayar and Rinku blossomed over the years.
"This is one of the most fulfilling and heart warming pictures going around. The relationship between ABHISHEK NAYAR n RINKU SINGH."It was a partnership that started in 2018 during my time in KKR. Nayar always saw the potential in Rinku , he kept telling me, it was only a matter of time before he did something really special," he wrote.
Rinku, who was KKR's leading run scorer in the 2023 season, is highly certain to be retained and he will be reunited with Nayar during IPL 2024.
#2 Aakash Chopra
former Indian opener lavished praise on newcomers - Rinku Singh and Mukesh Kumar - for their performances in the opening T20I. While Rinku has settled in quite well in a finishing role for the second-string Indian side, Mukesh chipped in with a frugal spell in a high-scoring contest.
Chopra reserved special praise for the duo while speaking on his YouTube channel.
"The way he batted under pressure, for me, the two biggest stars of this match were Mukesh Kumar and Rinku Singh.Mukesh Kumar was the best bowler in the entire match. He conceded five runs in the last over which had seven balls - a no-ball and a free hit - but despite that, only five runs. The way he was bowling yorkers consistently at the right spot, it seemed like it was a machine," he wrote.
Mukesh bowled a brilliant final over in the first innings. He was able to land his yorkers to Tim David, and only conceded five runs in the over to finish with figures of 0-29 from his four-over spell.
#3 Abhishek Nayar
The former all-rounder was full of praise for his protege Rinku Singh and even backed him to feature for India in the future as a full-time finisher, a role which the likes of MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya have carried out successfully in the past.
“It takes a lot of character. We speak about someone, who has done it in the IPL and domestic cricket. Just to see Rinku hold his nerve and to have the have the composure shows that he has grown leaps and bounds," Nayar said on JioCinema.
"It’s the third time he has done this for India, the third time India needed him to do something special and he turned up. He hasn’t played international cricket for five to seven years, but has the maturity and skillet of someone who has played that long," he added.
Rinku scored an unbeaten 22 runs off 14 deliveries, but his imperious last-ball six was not added to his tally since Sean Abbott had bowled a no-ball, thereby ending the contest then and there.
#4 Simon Katich
While India ended up with the win, it is not easy to forget Josh Inglis' breathtaking innings in the first half of the contest. The wicketkeeper-batter came into bat at No. 3 following Matt Short's dismissal, and took on the bowling attack from the word go.
He brought up his hundred off just 47 deliveries, which is the joint-fastest for Australia along with Aaron Finch.
Former Australia all-rounder Simon Katich said on Jio Cinema:
“He was excellent right from the word go tonight. He scored all around the wicket. Against pace and spin, his timing was spot on, he opened the blade beautifully to access the off-side. Then he had the power game through the leg side as well as we see it in the highlights."
Inglis ended up with 110 runs off 50 deliveries with the aid of 11 fours and eight sixes.
#5 Parthiv Patel
The former India wicketkeeper-batter addressed the elephant in the room and spoke about how difficult it is for the team to play in such a short span after the demanding World Cup campaign.
Suryakumar Yadav, in particular, was close to the action, having been part of Team India's playing XI for the final, and was now handed the responsibility to lead the T20I side.
Parthiv said on Cricbuzz:
"It is very difficult to get out of the World Cup loss. The way India were playing, everyone was expecting them to win. Even Suryakumar Yadav spoke about how it's not going to heal overnight. He himself would be slightly disappointed as whatever was expected out of him, didn't happen. But when the T20 format comes in, he plays those angles really well."
"Mental toughness and self-belief are very, very important when you are playing after the trauma of losing a World Cup final. It's not easy. But you have to give credit to Suryakumar Yadav for how he has handled himself and once again showed how good a player he is," he added.
Suryakumar showed why he is the No.1-ranked T20I batter in the world with a stunning 80-run knock off just 42 deliveries.