NEW DELHI: Under immense pressure to perform and after facing heavy criticism for his prolonged lean patch, India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav finally rediscovered his touch in the opening match of the five-match series against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday.

Suryakumar looked positive and full of intent, taking on the Aussie bowlers from the word go. His stunning maximum off Josh Hazlewood - a perfectly timed flick launched over the deep square-leg fence - evoked memories of him at his best.

Surya deposited Nathan Ellis over mid-wicket for his second six before rain interrupted play for the second time. With that shot, he also became the fifth batter to smash 150 sixes in T20I cricket.

SKY walks the talk

Ahead of the match, Suryakumar was optimistic about returning to form and stressed that his hard work will definitely pay off.

"I feel like I've been working really hard. It's not that I wasn't working hard before, I was doing it then also. I've had good sessions back home and good few sessions here so I am in good space, that is really important. Runs will come eventually but working hard towards the team goal is important," he said.

150+ sixes in T20 Internationals

205 Rohit Sharma
187 Muhammad Waseem
173 Martin Guptill
172 Jos Buttler
150 Suryakumar Yadav *

Former India captain Rohit Sharma continues to dominate the record books in T20 Internationals. He leads the list of players with the most sixes in the format, having smashed 205 maximums.

Rohit is followed by Muhammad Waseem of the UAE, who has hit 187 sixes, while Martin Guptill of New Zealand is close behind with 173. England's Jos Buttler has cleared the ropes 172 times.