Aussies cruise to victory in first T20, fresh Bartlett concern

Australia has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 series against India after cruising to a comfortable nine-wicket victory in Mohali.

Chasing 156 for victory, the tourists reached the target with more than five overs to spare, with David Warner (60) and Aaron Finch (54) putting on a 115-run opening stand.

Concern for Bartlett

However, Australia's victory was overshadowed by an injury to all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who left the field with a calf injury in the first over of India's innings.

Marsh is a key member of the Australian team and his absence would be a major blow for the tourists.

Australia dominate with the ball

Australia's bowlers set up the victory with an impressive performance, restricting India to just 155 for nine from their 20 overs.

Ashton Agar (3-23) and Josh Hazlewood (2-39) were the pick of the bowlers, while there were also wickets for Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa.

Warner and Finch star with the bat

In reply, Warner and Finch made batting look easy on a good batting surface, taking Australia to 115 without loss in the 12th over.

Warner was the more aggressive of the two, hitting five fours and four sixes, while Finch was more circumspect, hitting just three fours.

Warner was eventually dismissed for 60 off 41 balls, caught at deep square leg off the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Finch went on to make 54 off 46 balls before he was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.

Steve Smith (28 not out) and Glenn Maxwell (11 not out) then saw Australia home with an unbroken stand of 28 runs.

India's batting struggles

India's batting struggled throughout their innings, with only Rohit Sharma (35) and Shreyas Iyer (38) making significant contributions.

The Indian captain was particularly impressive, hitting four fours and two sixes in his 29-ball innings.

However, once Sharma was dismissed in the seventh over, the Indian innings lost momentum.

Iyer and Rishabh Pant (25) put on a brief partnership of 36 runs, but both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession.

India lost their last five wickets for just 16 runs, with Agar and Hazlewood cleaning up the tail.

What's next?

The two teams will meet again in the second T20I in Nagpur on Friday.

Australia will be hoping to secure the series with another victory, while India will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing performance in Mohali.