Key events
8th over: India 50-5 (Abhishek 33, Harhsit Rana 1) Bartlett had a rough start to his night with 17 coming from his first over. Now he adds a dropped catch off his own bowling. But a run out removes the same batter – Axar Patel – a couple of balls later and Australia are into the tail with Harshit Rana heading to the middle of the strangely quiet MCG.
WICKET! Axar run out 7 (India 47-5)
Axar is almost caught at cover but picks up an easy two runs. The all-rounder looks for a third but is sent back by Abhishek and is short of his crease as Josh Inglis lifts the bails. That was clever from Tim David in the deep as Axar’s dive wasn’t enough to save him.
7th over: India 47-4 (Abhishek 33, Axar 5) Hazlewood almost picks up the critical wicket of Abhishek but the thick edge sails just wide of a diving Inglis for four runs. The Australia quick goes around the wicket to Axar who is happy to see him off. Hazlewood finishes with 3-12 from his four overs.
6th over: India 40-4 (Abhishek 29, Axar 1) Nathan Ellis bowls out the powerplay as Axar Patel looks to play a steady hand. India have no choice but to rebuild the innings from here. But Abhishek knows only one way as he steps back to loft a ball off middle stump over cover for a much-needed boundary.
5th over: India 33-4 (Abhishek 24, Axar 1) Hazlewood turns the game in Australia’s favour with two wickets in an over. He has been almost unplayable and now has 3 for 6 from three overs in the powerplay.
WICKET! Tilak Varma c Inglis b Hazlewood 0 (India 32-4)
Josh Hazlewood has another and India are on the ropes. Tilak Varma lasts two deliveries as a top edge sends the ball skyward and Josh Inglis scampers a long way back to complete the catch with gloves on.
WICKET! Suryakumar c Inglis b Hazlewood 1 (India 32-3)
Josh Inglis drops the India skipper but Josh Hazlewood tidies up for his keeper with the next delivery. Suryakumar reaches for an outswinger but gets a nick on the way through. This is no less than Hazlewood has deserved.
4th over: India 32-2 (Abhishek 24, Suryakumar 1) The India captain comes to the crease following the failed experiment to move Sanju Samson up to No 3. A quick single puts Abhishek on strike and the attacking opener unleashes with back-to-back boundaries. The first gets what it deserves from Ellis, as a short ball down the leg side is ramped to the rope. The next is a full toss that Abhishek sends through cover. The Australia bowlers don’t seem to have worked out Abhishek yet, but let’s see how he goes up against an in-form Hazlewood.
WICKET! Samson lbw b Ellis 2 (India 23-2)
Nathan Ellis replaces Bartlett and soon beats Sanju Samson with a touch of movement outside off. The Australia quick gets the ball to move the opposite way with the next delivery to beat the inside edge and crash into Samson’s pads. The finger goes up with the ball heading towards middle stump but India waste a review.
3rd over: India 22-1 (Abhishek 15, Samson 2) It’s a game of two ends at the moment – one where Josh Hazlewood is bowling, and then one where he isn’t. The Australian quick is in ominous form with the white ball and will be hoping to carry that into the Ashes. He picks up the wicket of Shubman Gill with Sanju Samson a surprise at No 3 while India captain Suryakumar Yadav bides his time.
WICKET! Gill c Marsh b Hazlewood 5 (India 20-1)
Hazlewood has had Shubman Gill in all sorts from the very first ball and sends the opener on his way soon after. Gill tries to lift a wide ball straight over mid-off but picks out Mitch Marsh tracking back.
2nd over: India 18-0 (Gill 4, Abhishek 14) SIX! Abhishek Sharma lights up the MCG as he takes 14 runs from the four balls he faces in the Xavier Bartlett over. A swipe across the line picks up a couple, then Abhishek charges down the pitch to crack the first boundary of the innings through cover. A rattled Bartlett overpitches and allows the India opener two more past mid-on but he saves his best for last with a powerful drive over cover for six.
1st over: India 1-0 (Gill 1, Abhishek 0) The highest of drama to begin the T20 at the MCG! Josh Hazlewood traps Shubman Gill in front with the opening delivery and there looks to be little saving the India opener. But his half-hearted review has the decision overturned with the ball sailing well over leg stump. The Australia quick almost gets Gill nicking with the very next delivery and then crashes the ball into the opener’s helmet as the batter attempts to pull. After a lengthy delay Gill finally gets off the mark from the final delivery, but that was some over from Hazlewood.
Josh Hazlewood is at the top of his mark with Shubman Gill on strike as a huge roar goes up around the packed MCG.
The India and Australia women’s teams played a classic World Cup game just under 24 hours ago with the former stunning the defending champions to chase down the 339-run target. Raf Nicholson covers the semi-final upset, including Jemimah Rodrigues’s incredible century that steered India into a final against South Africa
Rodrigues was dropped three times by Australia, on 52, 83 and 106, eventually finishing unbeaten on 127 as the seven-time world champions uncharacteristically cracked under the pressure of defending 338. Running back from mid-off, Tahlia McGrath spilled the third of those chances from Rodrigues in the 44th over, while Annabel Sutherland sent down two wides in a wayward 48th over which cost 15 runs.
Before the T20 gets under way in about 15 minutes, Cricket Australia will hold a tribute in memory of Ben Austin – the young cricketer who was killed when hit by a ball while training in the nets in Melbourne earlier this week. There will be a moment’s silence with Ben’s image will be on the big screen and his favourite song played as well.
Australia’s cricket community have already been putting their bats out in a gesture to remember teenage cricketer, after the incident that has been described as similar to the death of former Test player Phillip Hughes in 2014.
India XI
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
India are unchanged for the abandoned T20 series opener. Captain Suryakumar suggests India would have picked up where they left off on Wednesday and batted if he won the toss.
“That’s the brand of cricket we want to play, as soon as we go in. It starts with Abhishek, he has been setting the tone along with Gill. He knows how to score runs and with him you have to run hard between the wickets as well.”
Australia XI
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Matt Short, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
One change for Australia with Matt Short replacing Josh Philippe.
Toss
Australia captain Mitch Marsh wins the toss yet again. And it is no surprise when he elects to bowl first. Suryakumar Yadav called incorrectly but he is comfortable with batting first, just as India did in Canberra for 9.4 overs on Wednesday.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the second T20 international between Australia and India at a sold out MCG. The first T20I of the five-match series was washed out in Canberra after only 9.4 overs on Wednesday. But the forecast looks much more promising this evening in Melbourne, with a bit of cloud around to please the pace bowlers.
Mitch Marsh won the toss in Canberra and – just as he had done during the ODI series – was keen to field first. But India have a threatening top order that might make the Australia captain think twice if the coin falls his way again. Abhishek Sharma looks dangerous from the first ball and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav showed signs of returning to form in the series opener.
First ball will be at 7.15pm AEDT in Melbourne / 1.45pm IDT. The toss and team news will be coming up shortly. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!
