Brisbane T20I: Dhawan's 50 in vain as Aussies beat India by 4 runs

Opener Shikhar Dhawan's quick-fire half century went in vain as the Australian bowlers put up a great show to beat India by four runs in the opening T20I of the ongoing three-match series at The Gabba in Brisbane. The result of the match, which was reduced to 17 overs due to rain, was determined through the Duckworth-Lewis system (DLS).
 
Chasing a target of 174 runs, all eyes were on Indian opener Rohit Sharma as he was just 64 runs short to grab the top spot in the list of highest run-getters in the shortest format of the game. Contrary to the expectations, Sharma failed to click with the bat, falling cheaply to seven runs off Jason Behrendorff's delivery.
 
Subsequently, Shikhar Dhawan steadied the innings for the Men in Blue as he notched up 76 runs in just 42 balls, including 10 boundaries and two sixes.
 
After Dhawan, India lost the wicket of first drop KL Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli lowly for 13 and four runs, respectively, before Rishabh Pant (20) and Dinesh Karthik (30) went back to the pavilion in quick successions to derail the run chase for India.
 
Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers for Australia as he bagged brilliant figures of two for 22, followed by Marcus Stoinis who scalped two wickets while conceding 27 runs.
 
Meanwhile, Behrendorff, Billy Stanlake and Andrew Tye also chipped in with a wicket each for Australia.  
 
Earlier, skipper Aaron Finch (27), Chris Lynn (37), Glenn Maxwell (46) and Marcus Stoinis (unbeaten at 33) made significant contributions with the bat to guide the home side to a respectable total of 158-4 in the stipulated 17 overs.
 
For India, Kuldeep Yadav was a notable bowler as he picked up two wickets while giving away just 24 runs.
 
With the win, Australia have now taken a 1-0 lead against India in the three-match series. The two sides will now lock horns in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on November 23.