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VISAKHAPATNAM: “Fearless” is how middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav described his hurricane knock in the first T20I against Australia here and said he felt “proud” to lead the country to victory on his captaincy debut.

Suryakumar smashed a 42-ball 80 and shared a 112-run partnership with Ishan Kishan as India chased down Australia’s 208 for 3 off the penultimate ball of the match on Thursday for a two-wicket victory.

Surya had contributed just 18 runs in the World Cup final against Australia on Sunday as India lost by six wickets on the big stage.

But playing in his favourite format and leading the side in the absence of an injured Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar was menacing, scooping four sixes and hitting nine boundaries on way to overshadowing Josh Inglis’ 50-ball 110 and helping the host take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Asked to describe his game in one word, ‘Mr 360 degrees’ said, “fearless”.

The skipper complimented Ishan Kishan for helping the team overhaul the huge target. Kishan’s 39-ball 58 following the departure of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for duck had set the platform for the gutsy chase.

“I think, he (Ishan) helped me really well. For me to be fearless, him staying there and his knock was very important,” said Suryakumar, whose strike rate of 190.47 was the key to the chase. Finally, Rinku Singh drove India to victory with an unbeaten 22 off 14 deliveries.

“I think he (Rinku) was very calm, though it was a pressure situation. When he came in to bat, he was very calm and the composure which he showed, I think, that was great to see,” Suryakumar told the BCCI.

On whether there were tense moments in the dressing room after seeing Australia’s 200-plus total on the board, the skipper said, “Little bit. There isn’t that much experience in the dressing room but all the boys were excited.

“When they saw the score on the board, they only said one thing, ‘if we win this game it will be truly enjoyable’.

“Very proud to lead the country and very happy to contribute in my first game as captain. Looking forward to the next game and how it goes,” added Suryakumar.

I practised a lot during WC: Kishan

Spending time on the bench during the ODI World Cup meant numerous opportunities for Ishan Kishan to work on his game under expert coaches. He batted and batted at the nets, visualising about how to play certain bowlers in match situations. During the first T20 International against Australia here on Thursday, the 25-year-old India batter reaped the rewards of diligently doing all the homework a while back in the company of the country’s best cricketers, including a couple of all-time greats. At the receiving end of his onslaught was leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha, off whom Kishan collected 30 runs off only 10 deliveries.

“During the World Cup, when I wasn’t playing, I asked myself before every practice session ‘What is important for me now. What I could do. I practised a lot in nets. I was constantly talking to the coaches about the game, how to take the game deep. How to target certain bowlers.

“You can’t leave too many runs for the batters at the back. It won’t be easy for them to play the big shots straight away. I had to take my chances and I believed in myself,” he added.