India confirm champion status

Gautam Gambhir was India's star perfomer © Getty Images

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The hosts secured the spoils in the first ever Twenty20 international to be played on Indian soil on Saturday as Australia slipped to a seven-wicket defeat in Mumbai.

Opener Gautam Gambhir was the star performer with the bat for India, hitting 63 runs from 52 balls as the hosts chased down Australia’s total of 166 with 11 balls to spare.

Gambhir’s innings in the one-off encounter came to an end when he was caught by Ricky Ponting, who had earlier posted an impressive 76 in 53 balls at the crease for the visitors.

But the Aussie skipper was not backed up by the rest of his team, with Michael Clarke’s unbeaten 25 the next best the visitors could produce in the face of a determined Indian attack led by paceman Irfan Pathan, who finished with figures of 2-34.

India’s innings began in scintillating fashion as Gambhir and Robin Uthappa (35) powered the hosts to a rapid ton in just 10 overs.

Opener Virender Sehwag fell for just five runs early on, but Gambhir and Uthappa’s second-wicket stand steadied the innings before the latter caught an outside edge and Adam Gilchrist took the catch.

But Yuvraj Singh picked up where Uthappa left off, powering three sixes and a four as his 31 runs from 25 deliveries saw the Indians home with the best part of two overs to spare.