The atmosphere was overwhelming and the crowd partisan, but debutant Nicolas Maddinson seemed to have taken it all in his stride as he whipped 34 off 16 deliveries to help Australia get off to a flying start in the only T20I versus India. The 21-year-old opening batsman who was called in to play in the shortest format of the game got off the mark with a drive to the boundary off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and followed up with two more in the next over, giving the spectators a glimpse of his talent.

Although he has toured the country before, Maddinson who represented the senior national side for the first time in any format said that this is an experience that he will remember for quite some time. While he would have been happier had his team won, he was glad to have gotten the opportunity to experience this level of competition in India.

Excerpts from his exclusive interview with bcci.tv:

Tough loss but a good game

Yes, India as we know is a tough place to tour for Australia. It was a good game and it all came down to the second last ball. It was tough to lose, but it was the first of many games in the series.

How has the Australian team prepared for countering spin seeing the way they had gone after Ravichandran Ashwin?

I think the wicket sort of us helped us to play Ashwin like we did. There wasn’t a great deal of turn so I guess that always helps.

Personally how had you prepared to bat in Indian conditions? What tips have you received from seniors like Aaron Finch?

Yes definitely. I have been lucky enough to tour India with the Australian Under-19 sides and our Academy sides. So I have had some experience over here playing and training. Going out there in the game and to be able to play in India is something else, especially against India. It was something I will remember.

What was it like wearing the national jersey for the first time?

I was hoping that we would get a win. Personally it was to try and have fun and enjoy playing for Australia and representing Australia for the first time. But I would have been happy with Australia winning.

Your thoughts Aaron Finch’s knock that set up the game

He played exceptionally well. He has been in good form, especially in this format of the game for a long time. So he is putting some good scores on the board and it is up to us bat around him. And we should have gone on to put a bigger score on the board with the few starts that we got.

What was it like to play in front of a packed Rajkot crowd? Have you experienced anything like this before?

No, I haven’t. It was very loud. I couldn’t hear much out there while I was batting. But they are the joys of playing in India, I guess. It is an experience that I am going to remember. These conditions are so different to ours and getting an opportunity to play in India is something that I am very happy with.

What would you take from this game?

Obviously to play in India and experience this level of cricket for me as a 21-year-old is a massive learning tool. For me, that’s something. And to be able to bat in the middle with Aaron Finch is special.