Cameron Green hit a superb fifty in his first outing as an opener in professional cricket to help Australia thrash India in the first T20 in Mohali on Tuesday.
Green hit 61 off just 30 balls to help Australia chase down India's total of 208-6. At one point, the match seemed out of Australia's grasp after left-arm spinner Axar Patel ran through their line up, picking 3-17 to leave the world champions needing 61 from 30 balls.
But wicketkeeper Mathew Wade (45 off 21 balls) turned the tide in Australia's favour by going after India's most experienced seamers. Wade hit two sixes in the 18th over bowled by Harshal Patel (0-49) and then sent Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0-52) to the boundary ropes on three successive occasions in the penultimate over to set up a four-wicket win.
India were not helped by sloppy fielding that included three dropped catches, including that of Green on 42.
Batting first, India took some time to get going after losing the wicket of captain Rohit Sharma in the third over. In-form Virat Kohli too fell cheaply for two, getting out to Nathan Ellis.
But opener KL Rahul kept the tempo up as he cracked 55 off 35 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes before he was caught by Ellis off seamer Josh Hazlewood at deep square-leg.
At the other end, Suryakumar Yadav hit four sixes in his 25-ball 46 to maintain India's run rate. But the main architect of India's record T20 score against Australia was Pandya.
The all-rounder hammered 71 off 30 deliveries with five sixes and seven fours. India looked like falling just short of 200 but Pandya smashed three sixes off the last three balls of the innings bowled by Green to breach the double hundred mark.
Ellis was the most successful bowler for Australia and finished with figures of 3-30, using his variations cleverly.
Australia were missing opener David Warner, who has been rested. The visitors are also without pace spearhead Mitchell Starc and all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh due to injuries.
India decided to not select pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah who was returning from injury. He is expected to play the next two T20s.
