Josh Inglis’ whirlwind rise from water boy to first-choice gloveman was one of the most intriguing storylines from Australia’s recent triumph in India, but the World Cup champion’s maiden international century has offered a glimpse of what he’s capable of achieving across formats.
Four days after the World Cup final, where Inglis claimed a record five catches, the West Australian plundered a career-best 110 off 50 balls during Thursday evening’s thrilling two-wicket loss against India in Visakhapatnam.
The 28-year-old, picked as a specialist batter at No. 3, equalled the Australian record for fastest hundred in men’s T20Is, reaching triple figures in 47 deliveries to lift the visitors towards 3-208. He joined an illustrious list of Australians to score a men’s T20I century, alongside modern greats Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Shane Watson and David Warner.
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Steve Smith, who opened the batting for the first time in his international career, played second fiddle as Inglis feasted on India’s inexperienced bowling in batter-friendly conditions at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium. The right-hander cracked 11 boundaries and eight sixes, combining with Smith for a 130-run partnership for the second wicket, another Australian record.
Inglis’ rampage ended in the 18th over, caught a deep square leg after misjudging a slower ball from Indian seamer Prasidh Krishna, but his inventive strokeplay and pinpoint precision were the highlight of Australia’s innings.
“It’s nice to get the monkey off the back,” Inglis told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“Obviously a disappointing result though. Ultimately we come here and we want to win, and unfortunately we didn’t get to do that tonight.”
Inglis SMASHES maiden international ton | 07:42
Fastest hundreds for Australia in men’s T20Is
47 balls – Aaron Finch vs ENG, Southampton (2013)
47 balls – Josh Inglis vs IND, Visakhapatnam (2023)
49 balls – Glenn Maxwell vs SL, Pallekele (2016)
49 balls – Glenn Maxwell vs IND, Bengaluru (2019)
56 balls – David Warner vs SL, Adelaide (2019)
Having starred domestically for Western Australia and Perth Scorchers, Inglis earned a maiden international call-up ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. He became Australia’s perennial reserve wicketkeeper across formats, accompanying Alex Carey and Matthew Wade on countless tours over the following 24 months.
Inglis would occasionally get a start when injury or workload management created a vacancy, but he didn’t get an opportunity to represent Australia in back-to-back matches until the recent white-ball tour of South Africa.
“I’m very lucky to be doing what I’m doing, being involved in a lot of tours and a lot of cricket is really exciting,” Inglis said in September.
“But obviously at times I’ve gone long spells without playing much, and it can be quite tough when you are just coming in for the odd game with no real rhythm and match practice.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal but I’m doing everything I can, I’m working my socks off and will try and cement a spot in all three forms.”
After carrying the drinks for over two years, Inglis finally got a chance to prove his worth during the recent World Cup in India, unexpectedly replacing Carey for the second group-stage match against South Africa in Lucknow.
His contributions throughout the campaign weren’t spectacular on paper, registering 159 runs at 19.87, but his batting prowess was evident while notching a crucial fifty against Sri Lanka in Lucknow, steering Australia towards its first win of the tournament. Inglis then demonstrated his versatility with an explosive cameo against New Zealand in Dharamshala and a gritty 28 in the semi-final against South Africa in Kolkata.
Barring a dramatic selection backflip, the ODI wicketkeeper role is his for the foreseeable future. However, Inglis will now be eyeing a permanent spot in the national T20 side as well.
Wade, who captained Australia during Thursday’s series opener against India, is still expected to don the gloves at next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States, but Inglis won’t be content with serving as the Tasmanian’s understudy for yet another ICC tournament.
“There’s obviously a T20 World Cup around the corner, so it’s important for us to get some T20 cricket in before that,” Inglis continued.
“There’s a lot of spots available and blokes playing for places.”
Inglis could potentially serve as a specialist batter at next year’s T20 World Cup if required, but there may not be room for him in the starting XI when David Warner and Mitchell Marsh return. Regardless, the West Australian’s record-equalling ton has given national selectors plenty to ponder over the coming months.
The second T20 between India and Australia gets underway at Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield Stadium on Sunday morning, with the first ball scheduled for 12.30am AEDT.
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