Concussion substitute Chahal wrecks Australia in 1st T20I

Carrying forward the momentum from the last ODI, India beat hosts Australia by 11 runs in the 1st T20I of the three-match series. Put into bat first, India lost Shikhar Dhawan cheaply and Virat Kohli too followed him soon. 

However, Sanju Samson and opener KL Rahul ensured that the team remained on course to a par total on a ground where the side boundaries made it difficult for the bowlers to contain the batsmen.
For India the bright spot was the form of Ravindra Jadeja whose late flourish propelled them past 160. Jadeja was hit on the helmet off a Mitchell Starc bouncer which allowed the Indian management to ask for a concussion substitute in the form of Yuzvendra Chahal. India beat Australia in the first T20I by 11 runs and lead the three-match T20I series 1-0. 

Chasing the target of 162, Australia started off in the 5th gear with captain Aaron Finch racing off to 35 off 26 before Yuzvendra Chahal got rid of him. Chahal made the best of the opportunity and also removed Steven Smith soon after. Washington Sundar’s tight spell in the middle overs and T Natrajan’s ability to bowl the Yorkers soon made the equation a little out of reach for the Aussies. 

The concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal was adjudged the man of the match for his brilliant bowling efforts at the Manuka Oval.

"I have played so many games and was mentally fit. 10-15 minutes before the start of the innings, I got to know I will play. The way Zampa bowled, I tried to do the same as well. It was a little harder to score in the first innings. 150-160 is a good score on this wicket. I bowled according to my plans," Chahal told during the post-match presentation.

Aaron Finch spoke about his injury to the hip and also the incident which led to a concussion substitute for Ravindra Jadeja.

"The injury got progressively worse as the game went on (about his injury to the hip). Their doctor had ruled Jadeja out due to concussion. You can't be challenging a medical expert's opinion. We probably leaked too many runs at the death. Then while chasing, we didn't hit too many boundaries in the 6-over period," the Australian captain said.

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli mentioned that playing Chahal came in as out of the syllabus equation for his side.

"There were no plans of having Yuzi in the game. Concussion replacements are a strange thing. Today, it worked for us. Yuzi showed character to squeeze the opponents. I thought they had a great start. They were cruising. The batters offered us a few wickets. That is T20 cricket for you. In Australia, you need to play hard and show intensity till the end. He batted beautifully in the last game. Natarajan looks like he can improve a lot. Chahar bowled well as well. Chahal got us back in the game. Hardik's catch was a game changer as well," Virat Kohli said during the post-match presentation.

Summary: India 161/7 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 51, Ravindra Jadeja 44*; Moises Henriques 3/22) beat Australia 150/7 in 20 overs (Aaron Finch 35, D'Arcy Short 34; Yuzvendra Chahal 3/25) by 11 runs.