IND Vs AUS 2023, 1st T20I Win Updates: Imagine being in the shoes of Suryakumar Yadav in the last 5 days or so. For starters, you are one of the bad guys in what was supposed to be a day of crowning glory for the Indian side on Sunday. Your snail-like innings was considered to be your personal failure and not a product of some peerless death bowling by the Australian pace battery. Your country ends up as the bridesmaid in the World Cup where you were supposed to be the centre of attention, and you are held responsible for it.

Despite that, the very next day, you are named the captain of T20 side that will face the very same side within a space of 4 days to earnestly begin with the preparation for the T20 World Cup, that is within 6 months. Some turnaround eh?

So now SKY has to not only put aside the pain, the heartache, and the emotional turmoil of losing a World Cup and final, he will also have to assume the mantle of a leader who will be marshalling a pretty young, raw, and inexperienced side against a side that has quite a few of their World Cup winning party within their ranks. Among all this, he also had to make sure that his batting in this format, which has always been a sight to behold, is not compromised due to the pain as well as the burden of leadership. No pressure eh SKY?

IND Vs AUS 2023: So Can SKY Be The Next Short-Term T20I Captain!?

But after tonight’s win against the Australians in what eventually turned into a close game, he showed that he’s not been affected by the criticism hurled at him. He was unfazed by the sparse turnout of journos in his first presser as a captain. Instead, he played like it was just another day and just another game. He made the right call at the toss and had no hesitation to bowl first.

While he did falter on the Assumption that there would be dew in the second innings, which didn’t happen, he was right in the fact that the pitch would become much more easier to bat on in the second innings. He did not show any sign of nerves in the field as captain, and made the right bowling changes, which got him a wicket in the powerplay itself.

With the bat, he walked the talk about being “fearless and enjoying yourself” that he spoke about in the press conference. He got to work straightaway. The balls that he found impossible to hit were now going to all parts of the boundary right from the middle of the bat. He smashed each bowler with utter disdain to stamp his authority on the game. His belligerence eventually rubbed off on Ishan Kishan on the other end, who was pretty scratchy and restless on the other end. Despite Kishan getting dismissed, SKY did not stop his assault and kept on going. He made a mockery of the target as well as the bowling and was absolutely toying with the Aussie bowlers after reaching his 50.

While he perished after trying one big hit too many, his 41-ball 80 was the key reason to ensuring India eventually won the game on the final ball of the innings. While this loss will certainly not be enough to heal the scars of Sunday, SKY will go to sleep well in the knowledge that everything went right for him in his first outing as a captain.

Author Credits- Delwyn Serrao