Ashwin’s withdrawal from the third Test against England in Rajkot after the second day’s play was down to a family medical emergency and left India effectively down to 10 players.
While India could use a substitute fielder the playing conditions prohibited a replacement, but despite the absence of a spinner with 500 Test wickets, the hosts moved into the ascendancy on day three.
Ashwin returned on Sunday and took the wicket of Tom Hartley in England’s second innings as India sealed a 434-run win – their biggest margin of victory in terms of runs – to go 2-1 up in the series.
“When you lose your most experienced bowler, especially in the middle of a Test match it is not easy,” Rohit said. “But everything was aside, family comes first.
“When we heard the news, there was no second thought in our mind. (We felt) he should do what he feels is right and obviously he wanted to be with the family which is an absolutely right thing to do.
“Good on him to make a way and come here and be part of the team on this day.
“It shows the character and shows the kind of person he is – wanting to put everything ahead for the team. We were happy to have him back.”
England’s defeat was their heaviest since 1934 and they were on course for one of their lowest totals after capitulating to 50 for seven before the last three wickets added 72.
While England subsided to their seventh lowest score against India, Rohit’s side sealed a memorable victory, having handed debuts to middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel.
Both rookies made an impression as did 22-year-old opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his second successive double hundred in his seventh Test, and Kuldeep Yadav, who took four wickets in his 10th appearance in this format.
“It’s a big victory,” Rohit added.
“Obviously it’s a very good feeling to win a game like that and especially with such a young team as well.
“A lot of credit to these young boys who have come in and shown a lot of character. It looks like they belong here, and they actually want to stay here as well. It is quite satisfying when you win a Test match like that.”
India have not been in action since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but their wait will come to an end at the SCG on Friday.
Australia should be confident after beating world champions 2-1 in the 50-over format in September and both sides will welcome being able to play in front of crowds.
Kohli headed to Australia on the back of being the ninth-highest run-scorer in the Indian Premier League and Australia captain Finch has lavished praise on his opposite number ahead of the three-match series.
"If you look at his record, it's second to none. It really is remarkable," said Finch, who also featured in the IPL. "What we have to keep in mind is that we have to keep looking to get him out.
"When you go away from that and you look to contain players, you can miss a trick. He's probably the best one-day player of all time, so it's about sticking to our plans and being really committed in that regard."
Kohli will be looking not only for a series victory, but also to consolidate his status as the top-ranked ODI batsman in the world in the absence of his injured team-mate Rohit Sharma.
India paceman Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, could regain top spot in the bowler rankings, as he only trails New Zealand's Trent Boult by three points.
The two sides, who will wear black armbands in tribute to late Australia great Dean Jones, will be playing for ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS FOR AGARWAL
A hamstring injury sustained during the IPL means there will be no Rohit at the top of the India order, so Mayank Agarwal looks set to partner Shikhar Dhawan.
Agarwal failed to show what he is capable of when India were whitewashed by New Zealand in February.
The 29-year-old was in good touch during the IPL, though, scoring 424 runs at an average of 38.54 and making a century for Kings XI against Rajasthan Royals.
KL Rahul is likely to come in down the order, given he will take up the role of wicketkeeper-batsman.
WARNER TO MAKE HAY AT HAPPY HUNTING GROUND?
Australia have a formidable recent record at the SCG, winning 11 of their previous 13 ODIs at the famous venue.
They have also come out on top in all but two of their previous 16 encounters with India at the Sydney fortress.
India's last ODI victory over Australia at the venue came in January 2016 and dismissing David Warner cheaply may be key to repeating that feat.
The opener has an ODI average of 57.2 at the SCG, higher than any other player in the men's game from 10 innings or more. Warner has scored two hundreds and a half-century in his last five knocks at the venue.
KEY OPTA FACTS
- Kohli is 133 runs away from becoming only the sixth man to record 12,000 in ODIs.
- India have won 12 of their last 18 ODIs against Australia, including the previous two.
- The tourists have won five of their last seven bilateral ODI series versus Australia, including a 2-1 win in the most recent series on Australian soil early last year.
- Finch is just 17 shy of becoming the 16th Australian to score 5,000 ODI runs. He has not been dismissed for a single-figure total in any of his last 10 ODI knocks.
- Mohammed Shami (50) has taken more ODI wickets since the beginning of 2019 than any other player; Australia duo Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins (43 each) are joint-second.
The 34-year-old batsman is only just recovering from injury, having missed out on the team’s most recent tour of South Africa, which ended in a disappointing 3-0 loss.
According to reports, the batsman is already back in training and will be ready to go for the T20 and perhaps ODI series. The series will get underway on February 6th, while the T20 series gets underway on February 16th. Rohit is recovering from a left hamstring injury. In the past, the player has captained India vs the West Indies in three matches in 2018. India won the series 3-0. Overall, in 17 T20Is India has won 10 and lost 6.
"Rohit is fit and available for the series against the West Indies," a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
"By the time the West Indies series starts, it will be more than seven and half weeks of rehabilitation and recuperation for Rohit.
The West Indies are expected to head to India immediately after the England tour.
Much of the talk ahead of the match in Nagpur was over the condition of the pitch and Jadeja took centre stage with the ball, where the tourists collapsed to 177 all out after Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat.
Jadeja, playing his first international since August after undergoing knee surgery, took 5-47 and Ravichandran Ashwin (3-42) reached the 450 Test-wicket milestone in fewer matches than any other India bowler as Australia folded from 84-2.
India were 77-1 at stumps in reply as part of a great start to their quest to lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit Sharma unbeaten on 56 as both sides bid to secure a place in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June.
Australia were reduced to 2-2 with Mohammed Siraj trapping Usman Khawaja leg before wicket with an outswinger before Mohammed Shami sent David Warner's off stump flying.
Marnus Labuschagne (49) and Steve Smith (37) put on 82 for the third wicket, but Jadeja had the number three stumped and was on a hat-trick after getting Matt Renshaw lbw early in the afternoon session.
Spinning all-rounder Jadeja struck a huge blow by bowling Smith through the gate, but Peter Handscomb – preferred to Travis Head – and Alex Carey briefly steadied the ship with a stand of 53.
Ashwin then came to the fore to join the 450 club, cleaning up Carey (36) and sending Cummins on his way before Jadeja got rid of debutant Todd Murphy without scoring and Handscomb (31).
Tweaker Ashwin saw the back of Scott Boland to end Australia's innings in the 64th over, and although Murphy had KL Rahul caught and bowled late in the day, Rohit was still there at stumps along with nightwatchman Ashwin.
Jadeja has his day in the sun
As he prepared to make his comeback this week, Jadeja said he "hadn't felt the sun for about five months" during his recovery.
Australia felt the heat as the left-armer shone on day one of the four-match series, claiming his 11th five-wicket Test haul.
This was his fourth five-wicket Test haul against Australia, the most he has claimed against any nation. Since the 34-year-old's debut in December 2012, only Stuart Broad (six) and Ashwin (five) have picked up more against Australia.
Ashwin second-fastest to 450
It was another day to remember for Ashwin, who took his tally of wickets in the longest format to 450 in his 89th match.
That beat the previous India record held by Anil Kumble, who reached that incredible tally in 93 contests. Only Muttiah Muralitharan got to the landmark in fewer matches, the Sri Lanka spinner achieving the feat in his 80th Test.
After racking up 385-9 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, India bowled out their opponents for 295, and Tuesday's victory lifts them above England to the top of the ICC ODI team rankings.
Gill, who hit a double hundred in the first match, shared in a stand of 212 with Rohit for the first wicket on Tuesday, the fifth-largest ODI partnership by an India opening pair.
After setting the tone for the contest as both openers reached three figures, Rohit was bowled by Michael Bracewell for 101 from 85 balls at the start of the 27th over, while Gill went soon after for a 78-ball 112 when he got a leading edge to present Blair Tickner (3-76) with the first of his three wickets.
Gill totalled 360 runs across the three games, matching Babar Azam's record for the most scored in a three-match bilateral men's ODI series.
Virat Kohli added 36 and Hardik Pandya weighed in with 54 before becoming the third victim of Jacob Duffy, the New Zealand paceman who returned conspicuous figures of 3-100.
Devon Conway's heroics in New Zealand's reply were in vain, as he cracked 138 from 100 balls before being caught by Rohit at midwicket when looking to pull Umran Malik away to the boundary.
Conway blazed eight sixes in his terrific counter-attack but lacked support. Once he became the sixth Black Caps batter to be dismissed, with the score on 230, the tourists' hopes were all but over, and the innings inevitably petered out.
Holkar a happy home for India
India preserved their 100 per cent record in ODIs at the stadium in Indore, which was staging such a match for just the sixth time. This is the most matches they have won at any venue in ODIs without losing, beating the five wins and one tie they have had at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
This India team are in a rich vein of ODI form, wherever they play, having won all six of their matches in 2023, with this success improving what was already their best winning run to begin a calendar year.
Duffy's sorry century
Duffy's figures of 3-100 made him just the third New Zealand bowler to concede 100 or more runs in a men's ODI, after Martin Snedden (2-105 vs England in 1983) and Tim Southee (0-105 vs India in 2009). Duffy's three wickets, however, gave him the most victims of any bowler to have conceded a century of runs in such a match.
Hardik will lead India when they begin their tour of New Zealand with the first of three T20Is in Wellington on November 18 – just five days after the T20 World Cup in Australia ends.
One week later, they begin a three-match one-day series at Eden Park in Auckland, in which Dhawan – who led India on a tour of the West Indies earlier this year – will take the captaincy.
Rohit, Kohli and Rahul will all miss the trip to New Zealand, but as many as eight other players currently in Australia for the World Cup will be in attendance.
Hardik, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh have all been selected for the T20I series, with Pant named vice-captain for the entire tour.
There was no place in either squad for Jasprit Bumrah or Ravindra Jadeja, however, after the duo were forced to miss the World Cup through injury.
India hammered England by 68 runs on Thursday to book their place in the T20 World Cup final, in which they will meet South Africa.
Rohit struck 57 to put India on their way to victory, with their bowlers subsequently skittling England all out for 103.
Kohli, however, managed just nine runs, as the former India skipper's struggles continued. He has scored just 75 runs across seven innings at this edition of the tournament, and has been out for a duck twice.
Rohit, though, has few concerns over Kohli's form.
"Virat is a quality player," Rohit said. "Any player can through that. We understand his class.
"When you have played for 15 years, form is never a problem. He's probably saving it for the final."
Indeed, maintaining their composure will be crucial for India heading into Saturday's clash with the Proteas, so says Rohit.
He added: "We've been very calm. We understand the occasion of the final.
"It's important we stay composed, because that helps you make good decisions. We have been very steady, calm, and that has been the key for us.
"We'll try our best. All I can hope is to put in another good show come the final."
The tourists dominated in Visakhapatnam to level their three-match ODI series at 1-1, bowling out India for 117 in 26 overs before taking just 11 overs to pick off their target.
Victory at YS Raja Reddy Cricket Stadium sets up a decider in Chennai on Wednesday, with India's nine-match winning run in home ODIs having been brought to a halt.
Australia pace spearhead Starc took 5-53 in a dazzling display, before Mitchell Marsh (66 not out) and Travis Head (51 not out) made it a rout.
Smith made a stunning catch to dismiss Hardik Pandya midway through India's innings, diving away to his right at first slip to give Sean Abbott (3-23) a wicket.
That prompted Smith to be asked about whether it could be considered a "catch of the century", but he appeared slightly bemused by the suggestion.
"I don't know about catch of the century," he said at the post-match presentation. "It was nice I held on today.
"I had a couple of opportunities in the last game that were quite similar and they were just out of reach. I couldn't get my hand quite around it, but I was fortunate I was able to do that today.
"It was a big wicket, Hardik's an unbelievable player, so it was nice to hang on to it."
This match rapidly got away from India, who had won the series opener by five wickets.
"It was a quick one – 37 overs for the game, you don't see that too often," Smith said. "I thought our bowlers were outstanding this afternoon. Mitchell Starc in particular with that new ball swinging it back down the line and putting them under early pressure.
"He complemented really well with the rest of our bowling group and it was a nice start to the day. It was one of those days when every time they nicked it, it went to hand. Fortunately we were on the right side of it."
The batting went well too.
"The way that Heady and Mitch went out and went after against the bowlers, put them under pressure early. When you're chasing 118 you can break the back of it pretty quickly," Smith said. "It was a really good day, and I'm really proud we managed to bounce back after the last game."
India captain Rohit Sharma said his team let themselves down.
"We always knew that was not enough runs on the board," Rohit said. "Obviously it was not a 117 pitch at all. By no means. We just didn't apply ourselves and kept losing wickets. That didn't allow us to get the runs we wanted."
Kohli confirmed in September that he had decided to take a step back from leading India in the shortest format after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup.
However, he had agreed to stay on as India's ODI and Test captain, and remain available for selection in T20Is.
India failed to progress from the Super 12s in the World Cup, with Rohit Sharma named as captain for the subsequent T20 series against New Zealand.
But on December 8, Rohit was named India's new permanent white-ball captain.
The BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly, explained that the selectors felt there would have too much leadership within the white-ball squad had there been two captains for each of the formats.
Ganguly also claimed that Kohli had been asked to stay on as captain. However, the batsman has contradicted this statement.
"When I decided to leave the T20I captaincy and approached the BCCI about my decision, it was received well," Kohli told reporters.
"There was no offence or hesitation, I wasn't told to reconsider it. It was received well; I was told it's progressive and it's a step in the right direction.
"Then I told them I'd like to continue in Tests and ODIs, unless the office bearers and selectors feel otherwise.
"My communication was clear in what I wanted to do. I gave them the option, that if they feel I shouldn't [remain captain in Tests and/or ODIs], the decision is in their hands."
Kohli, who is staying on as Test captain, also revealed he was only told of the BCCI's decision to replace him as ODI skipper an hour-and-a-half prior to the squad announcement for India's upcoming red-ball tour of South Africa.
"I was contacted one-and-a-half hours before the selection meeting on December 8 for the Test series," Kohli said.
"There was no prior communication to me at all from when I announced the T20I captaincy decision until December 8, when I got a call before the selection meeting.
"The chief selector [Chetan Sharma] discussed with me the Test team, to which we both agreed, and before ending the call I was told the five selectors have decided I will not be the ODI captain, to which I replied, "okay, fine".
"In the selection call afterwards, we chatted about it briefly. That's what happened. There was no communication prior to that at all."
But Kohli is adamant the captaincy call will not impact his preparation for the South Africa Test series.
He added: "To be prepared for a tour like this and to perform to the best of my abilities, nothing has, and nothing can derail me from that.
"A lot of things that happen on the outside are not ideal and not how one expects them to be, but you have to understand you can only do so much as an individual and we have to keep thing in tight perspective and do things that are in your control.
"I'm focussed, mentally prepared, and excited to do the best I can for the team and make the team win."
De Kock had earlier been left red-faced when he dropped Pat Cummins on 36 and the Australia paceman went on to make his maiden IPL half-century on Friday.
An unbroken stand of 87 between Cummins (53 not out) and new captain Eoin Morgan (39no) got KKR up to 148-5 in Abu Dhabi.
Rahul Chahar was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers with 2-18 and it was South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman De Kock who played the biggest hand with the bat.
The left-hander smashed an unbeaten 78 off 44 balls to get the defending champions home with 19 balls to spare, sealing a sixth win in eight games.
De Kock has now made three half-centuries in his last four innings, although he did have a bit of fortune when Varun Chakravarthy missed a tough chance to send him on his way for 20.
Rohit Sharma made a slow 35 by his usual standards in an opening partnership of 94, while Hardik Pandya weighed in with a brisk 21 not out.
Victory for Mumbai moves them to the summit, level on points with Delhi Capitals, while the Knight Riders are fourth.
CHAHAR DOUBLE STRIKE JOLTS KKR AT START OF MORGAN REIGN
Kolkata announced on the day of the game that Dinesh Karthik had handed over the captaincy to England's white-ball skipper Morgan.
Morgan opted to bat after winning the toss and might have been wondering if that was the right call when his side were 61-5 after Jasprit Bumrah removed Andre Russell.
The excellent Chahar had Shubman Gill caught at long-on and Karthik played the next ball on, so it was left for Morgan and Cummins to come to the rescue.
Cummins and Morgan both struck two sixes as they produced a much-needed late flurry of runs, Nathan Coulter-Nile (1-51) proving to be particularly expensive.
DE KOCK STARS IN RUN CHASE
The destructive De Kock produced another devastating exhibition of clean striking, moving into the top 10 in the list of the highest run-scorers in the 2020 edition of the IPL.
He was the chief aggressor in the opening partnership with Rohit, who faced 36 deliveries.
De Kock struck two of his three maximums in a costly seventh over from Prasidh Krishna, also hitting nine fours in another high-quality knock.
The 27-year-old has 269 runs in the tournament at an average of 38.42 and, on this evidence, there may be plenty more to come.
More wickets have fallen in a single day just four times in the history of Test cricket, with ball dominating bat throughout three breathless sessions that ushered the game towards a rapid conclusion at Newlands.
At stumps South Africa were 62 for three in the second innings, only 36 behind after India had lost their last six wickets for no runs in the space of 11 deliveries. From 153 for four they were rounded up in successive overs by the inspired pairing of Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada without adding to their total.
Dean Elgar, South Africa’s retiring stand-in captain, suffered the ignominy of ending his international batting career with two dismissals on the same day but at least shared that pain with team-mates Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs.
Elgar had won the toss and opted to bat in the morning but saw his decision blow up spectacularly as India skittled the hosts for their lowest Test score in 92 years.
Mohammed Siraj did most of the damage with figures of six for 15, with two apiece for Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar, the latter without conceding a run, as the innings subsided in less than 24 overs.
India took the lead in just 10 overs after lunch, Rohit Sharma taking the attack to the home seamers with a rapid 39. The tourists were primed to hammer home a big advantage at 105 for two with Shubman Gill (36) and Virat Kohli (46) at the crease, but there was another twist in the tale.
Things took a huge handbrake turn in the 33rd over when Ngidi dismissed KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Bumrah in a triple-wicket maiden.
Unbelievably, three more fell in the next five deliveries at the other end, Rabada taking care of Kohli and Prasidh Krishna either side of Siraj’s run out.
The third innings of the day got under way in the evening session, Kumar picking up two more and Bumrah adding a third as Aiden Markram’s 36 not out offered some belated resistance from the Proteas.
Australia looked to have the edge at the start of day three, resuming on 61-1 after holding a one-run lead at the innings break.
India captain Rohit feared the hosts would struggle batting last on a difficult Delhi pitch, but instead it was Australia who bowed to the conditions.
The tourists were all out for 113 by lunch, with Ravindra Jadeja enjoying career-best bowling figures of 7-42.
Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with three vital wickets, too, and Rohit credited the pair for turning the match in India's favour ahead of a routine chase.
"It is a fantastic result for us, looking at how things were yesterday," the skipper said. "How we came back and finished the job was a great effort from the bowlers.
"Even though the deficit was just one run, I felt we were very much behind – we had to bat last.
"On a pitch like that, you have to come out and try to do different things. We knew they were going to come and play shots. For us, it was about not panicking, and we had to hit those areas rather than panicking.
"I've seen them bowl enough and take wickets in these kind of conditions. We had discussed some things in the morning that we had to do, and that worked for us.
"Look, every game you play here there is some moisture, and what I noticed in three days is it has a lot to offer in the first session.
"Then the pitch gets slower and slower and there is not enough bite in the pitch – it's something we focused on.
"I had a good chat with the bowlers and they are masters of these conditions. It was important for us to stay calm and let the mistakes happen."
Jadeja and Ashwin had also crucially contributed with the bat in India's first innings, scoring 26 and 37 respectively.
Rohit added: "When you play Test cricket, there are a lot of [big] moments, but I thought the partnerships between Virat [Kohli] and Jadeja and Axar [Patel] and Ash [were big] – to get that hundred partnership [114 between Axar and Ashwin] was never going to be easy.
"Even then, we knew we had to bowl well and restrict them to as low as possible."
Australia captain Pat Cummins, whose side now trail 2-0 in the series, said: "I thought 260 was a decent score on the first-day wicket and the guys bounced back well.
"I think they batted well – one or two partnerships – and it was evenly matched at the innings break.
"[Australia's batting] was disappointing – the pressure was right on them, but we will have to review what we could have done differently.
"It's a similar story to Nagpur. Some of it is down to planning, and it wasn't easy when Ashwin and Jadeja were bowling.
"I think both defeats [hurt] – this one particularly when we were ahead of the game."
The India captain had been taking part in his team's warm-up game against Leicestershire, scoring 25 in the first innings but not batting in the second.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Saturday that Rohit had tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation.
"Team India captain Mr Rohit Sharma has tested positive for COVID-19 following a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on Saturday," a statement read.
"He is currently in isolation at the team hotel and is under the care of the BCCI Medical Team."
Rohit has averaged 30.00 from three Test innings in 2022, having averaged 47.68 from 21 innings last year.
The Test match with England, which gets underway at Edgbaston on Friday, is the rescheduled fifth Test from September 2021.
The hosts had already dominated against visitors who were beaten by Australia in the T20 World Cup final just a week ago, cruising to consecutive victories to guarantee a series triumph before Sunday's final game.
India opted to bat first at Eden Gardens and raced to 69-0 at the end of the powerplay – their highest score in the first six overs of the series - before Ishan Kishan (29) fell two balls later.
New captain Rohit carried on imperiously, blasting three sixes in his 31-ball 56 to not only become just the second batter to hit 150 maximums in T20I cricket but also to place him top, above Virat Kohli (29), for the most 50-plus scores in the format.
The hosts eventually concluded on 184-7 from their 20-over allocation after Deepak Chahar clubbed 21 from eight deliveries as India collected 50 runs from the final five overs.
New Zealand's response began brightly with 16 taken off Chahar in the second over, but Axar (3-9) removed Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips cheaply to leave the visitors 37-3 after their first six.
Martin Guptill (51) offered the only serious resistance for the tourists, who capitulated to 111 all out to hand India their eighth consecutive match win in T20I bilateral series against New Zealand.
Santer shines as Kiwi bowlers falter
Mitchell Santer (3-27) was the only New Zealand bowler to go for an economy under seven.
While picking up the key wickets of Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant, the left-armer bowled tightly after the powerplay and, with more support, could have limited India to a lower total.
Almost perfect from Axar
Tasked with operating in the powerplay, Axar struck with his first delivery in the match and that set the tone for the rest of the game.
As well as picking up a trio of wickets in quick succession, the off-spinner produced 13 dot balls to concede just nine runs from his three overs.
After making a valuable 48 when India won the first game in the three-match series by five wickets on Wednesday, Rohit – who took over from Virat Kohli as T20 captain for this series and seems set to be handed the role on a full-time basis – added a rapid 55 on this occasion as he and KL Rahul produced a century opening partnership.
Chasing New Zealand's 153-6, Rahul plundered 65 from 49 balls and Rohit's runs came from just 36 deliveries, before India withstood a slight stumble to get over the line with 16 balls to spare.
Rishabh Pant finished it off with two sixes at the start of the 18th over, with India getting the job done emphatically at JSCA International Stadium Complex.
New Zealand captain Tim Southee's inspired bowling had accounted for both openers and Suryakumar Yadav, but by that point India were almost home and hosed. Pant and Venkatesh Iyer both finished on 12 not out.
The visitors paid the price for being unable to build on a strong platform of their own, having been 79-1 in the ninth over. Martin Guptill thrashed 31 from 15 balls, perishing to a top edge off Deepak Chahar after striking the same bowler for six from the previous delivery.
Harshal Patel had a strong debut for India and his 2-25 included the wicket of middle-order dangerman Glenn Phillips, who hit three sixes, taking his total to 97 in T20 matches at all levels in 2021, making 34 in 21 balls.
The three-match series concludes in Kolkata on Sunday, with India eyeing a clean sweep.
Rohit and Rahul take game away from Kiwis
Trent Boult dropped Rohit on 29 after he sliced into the on side. A wicket at that point, in the 10th over, might have made a difference, but India's opening pair went on to put on 117 and such a foundation meant the outcome became a foregone conclusion. It means the India openers have equalled the most century partnerships in T20I matches, joining Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on five.
Super Southee efforts in vain
Southee's salvo came too late to majorly affect the outcome, but his bowling was terrific and figures of 3-16 from four overs matched his fifth-best T20I performance, in what was his 92nd appearance in the short format for the Black Caps.
Bumrah, who needs more time to recover from a back injury he suffered before the T20 World Cup last year, is also set to miss much of India's Test series against Australia, which starts on February 9.
The news of Bumrah's setback was confirmed on Monday, on the eve of Rohit Sharma's team taking on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series.
"It's an unfortunate incident with [Bumrah]," said India captain Rohit.
"The poor guy has been working very hard all this time. Just when he got back to full fitness, he started bowling and everything, the last two days I think this incident happened where he felt a little bit of stiffness in his back.
"It's nothing major, it's just stiffness. But when Bumrah says anything we have to be very cautious about it. I thought it was important for us to make that decision then to just pull him out.
"When we named him [in the squad], he was in the process of getting his workload done. We need to be very careful with him. He had a major injury before the [T20] World Cup. So we just need to be careful."
Sharma, who declared his retirement from T20I's following India's success at the World Cup earlier this year, watched on as the Men in Blue started off a new era under the guidance of Suryakumar Yadav.
India comfortably beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in that series, and now face the same opponents in three 50-over matches that start this Friday.
Sharma will captain India for the upcoming fixtures, and acknowledged the difficulty in selecting the team's wicketkeeper batter for ODIs, with both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both in the mix.
Pant last featured in an ODI for India in November 2022, but has since made a comeback to the national team and was part of their T20 World Cup success in June.
First-choice Pant also played in two of the three T20s against Sri Lanka last month but faces competition from Rahul, who has been solid behind the stumps and impressed during the 2023 50-overs World Cup at home.
"It's a tough call. Both are quality players, you know the abilities of both. It's not easy to pick a team when you have players like that," Sharma told reporters.
"That's what these two individuals are all about. They're match-winners in their own way.
"It's always nice to have (such) problems. When you discuss a lot about whom to pick, it means there's quality in the squad. I look forward to these problems."
While Sharma has retired from the 20-over format, he is expected to stay in the role in 50-overs cricket with the Champions Trophy scheduled for next year.
The upcoming fixtures will present another difficult test for new head coach Gautam Gambhir, who is yet to taste defeat in his first three games in charge.
"We'll keep in mind what we want to achieve as a team but this is by no means preparation or practice (for the Champions Trophy). We want to play good cricket and get something out of the series. It's as simple as that," Sharma said.
"We don't want to think about trying this or that. Of course we want to try everything possible, but when you're representing the nation the quality of the cricket should remain the way it is and how we've played in the last few years.
"That's more important, more than thinking that it's a preparation so let's go out and chill in Colombo."
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be without pacers Matheesha Pathirana and Dilshan Madushanka, while Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara are also out with illness and a fractured thumb.
Uncapped Mohamed Shiraz has been brought in as replacement as they look to bounceback from their whitewash defeat in their recent T20 series.
Chasing down Australia's 90-5, India reached their target with four balls to spare after Karthik cracked the first delivery he faced for six and followed up with a pull for four.
The outfield was considered too wet for the T20I match to begin on time after rain earlier in the week, and ground staff worked to make it playable, even if only for a reduced-overs contest. Play eventually began after 21:30 local time.
Australia won the first match in Mohali on Tuesday, making this second contest in the three-game series a must-win fixture for the hosts.
After being put in, Australia captain Aaron Finch rattled to 31 at the top of the order, before Jasprit Bumrah took his leg stump, and wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade cracked a brutal 43 not out from 20 balls.
KL Rahul (10) and Virat Kohli (11) just about made it to double figures as India set about their chase, but it was captain Sharma who pinned the innings together, with four sixes and four fours in his 20-ball 46no.
Daniel Sams was trusted with the ball for the final over as Australia looked for some heroics, but the paceman was flogged over the ropes by Karthik from the first ball before sealing victory with another boundary. The series decider takes place in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Finch sees Australia fall short
Captain Finch ended his three-match run of sub-30 scores in T20Is, but his efforts were not enough to catapult Australia towards a sufficiently high score.
The skipper said at the post-match presentation: "We just got out-executed a little bit towards the back end there. Rohit played a great innings."
He said India bowler Axar Patel (2-13), who claimed the wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Tim David, had bowled two "brilliant" overs, that were "probably the difference in the game".
Rohit hails returning Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah made a timely appearance in India colours, with the T20 World Cup in sight. Sidelined recently by a back injury, the star fast bowler satisfied captain Rohit as he took 1-23 from two overs.
"Coming back after a couple of months from a back injury can be tricky. We've got to give more time to him. it was good to see him on the park. That was important for us, and he got a crucial wicket," Rohit said.
"Slowly and steadily, he's coming back to his rhythm. It was good to see him bowling full throttle, but as a team we're not going to analyse this too much, we just want to let him come and enjoy his game."
India had held on for a 12-run win in the opening match earlier in the week, and it quickly became clear they would have little difficulty wrapping up the three-match series on Saturday.
The Black Caps were reduced to 15-5 in the 11th over, neither protecting their wickets nor scoring at a rate that might begin to trouble the home side.
A rally of sorts could only recover a score of 108 all out, their third-lowest total against India in the format, meaning Rohit Sharma's men could cruise to victory as they ended on 111-2.
Rohit scored a swift 51 and Shubman Gill 40 not out as the reply required just over 20 overs.
But much of the hard work had been done by the India attack, with Mohammed Shami (3-18) setting the tone when opener Finn Allen went for a duck in the first over.
Mohammed Siraj also had a key early role, giving up only 10 runs across his six overs, before Shami had Michael Bracewell caught behind for 22 as New Zealand attempted to belatedly gain a foothold.
When Mitchell Santner (27) and Glenn Phillips (36) went in consecutive overs, a hugely achievable target meant the result was inevitable.
India bowlers share the load
Shami led the way, but all six India bowlers ended with at least one wicket in a ruthless showing.
The entire group contributed to an extremely economical display, too. Only Kuldeep Yadav did not bowl a maiden over, although his dismissal of Blair Tickner concluded the New Zealand innings, while everyone other than he and Shardul Thakar had an economy rate of 3.00 or lower.
Rohit ramps up the scoring
Bracewell's middling strike rate of 73.33 was New Zealand's best, but Rohit, scoring at 102.00, showed the tourists just what was possible in his destructive innings.
The India captain hit nine boundaries, including two sixes. New Zealand as a team had found the boundary on only 13 occasions without a single maximum.
Rohit was trapped attempting to play another shot, but by then he had reached his half-century and put India in complete control. They were 57-0 at the point the Black Caps had been five down.
India cruised to an eight-wicket win in the low-scoring opener on Wednesday, but the runs flowed in Guwahati on Sunday as Suryakumar Yadav (61) and KL Rahul (57) helped the hosts post an imposing 237-3.
Suryakumar and Rahul both hit half-centuries in the first match, and they were at it again as South Africa's bowling attack failed to get control of the match, with only Keshav Maharaj (2-23) picking up wickets as the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi struggled.
India's score was their fourth-highest in T20Is, aided by important innings from captain Rohit Sharma (43) and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 49. Yadav's runs, meanwhile, came from just 22 balls, five of which he despatched for six.
South Africa's chase started woefully, as captain Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw were both dismissed for nought by Arshdeep Singh in the second over.
Quinton de Kock and Miller fought to keep South Africa in the game, as former captain De Kock made a snappy 69 not out while Miller hit 106no from 47 balls.
Despite those efforts, the Proteas never truly threatened to chase the challenging total as they lost the series with a game left to play, finishing on 221-3. The third match takes place on Tuesday in Indore.
Record-setting Suryakumar
Suryakumar became the fastest player to reach 1,000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced, as he hit five fours and as many maximums to post his second half-century in a row.
He reached 1,000 T20I runs in 573 balls, 31 fewer than the previous record-holder Glenn Maxwell required, and helped India to set a huge target as the Proteas bowlers were carted to all parts.
Rabada struggles to make a dent
A key member of South Africa's pace attack, Rabada failed to make a significant impact as he finished with figures of 0-57 in his four overs.
The most expensive of the visitors' bowlers, Rabada was hit for 10 boundaries as India stormed to a total out of South Africa's reach.
