India captain Suryakumar Yadav etched his name into T20I history by becoming the fifth batter globally—and second Indian after Rohit Sharma—to smash 150 sixes in the format during the rain-soaked first T20I against Australia at Manuka Oval on Wednesday. The 34-year-old achieved the milestone in his 91st match and just 86 innings, making him the fastest among full ICC member nations to reach it, trailing only UAE's Muhammad Waseem (66 innings). Yadav hammered two towering maximums—one off Josh Hazlewood over backward square leg and another against Nathan Ellis over midwicket—en route to an unbeaten 39 off 24 balls (3 fours, 2 sixes).

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bowl first in the series opener, part of India's tour following a 2-1 ODI series loss. India raced to 97/1 in 9.4 overs, powered by a blistering 62-run stand off 35 balls between Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill (37* off 20). Opener Abhishek Sharma fell early for 19 off 14, caught by Tim David off Ellis, but Gill and Yadav's aggression frustrated the hosts amid multiple rain delays. The match, reduced to 18 overs per side after an initial stoppage, promised fireworks on the batter-friendly Manuka Oval, where the average first-innings score hovers around 150.

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Persistent showers returned just as India accelerated, prompting umpires to abandon the contest without a result after failed inspections. Yadav's knock not only boosted his side's momentum but also saw him surpass MS Dhoni for most T20I runs by an Indian against Australia. Now second on India's all-time T20I sixes list behind Sharma's 205, Yadav boasts over 2,650 runs at a strike rate above 165, including four centuries across four nations—a testament to his 360-degree mastery.

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