Mohali, Sep 20 (PTI) Hardik Pandya (71 not out) and KL Rahul (55) scored scintillating half-centuries to help India post 208 for six against Australia in the series opening first T20I here on Tuesday.

Invited to bat, Rahul (55 off 35 balls) scored his second consecutive fifty which included four boundaries and three maximums.

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The in-form Pandya, on the other hand, pummelled the visiting bowlers into submission with his unbeaten 30-ball 71.

The all-rounder smashed the ball seven times to the fence and five times over it to take India over the 200-run mark.

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Suryakumar also pitched in with a valuable 25-ball 46.

For Australia, medium pacer Nathan Ellis 3/30 was the pick of the bowlers.

Brief Scores:

India 208/6 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 71 not out, KL Rahul 55; Nathan Elis 3/30, Josh Hazlewood 2/39) vs Australia.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)