India vs Australia, 2nd T20I at the MCG: Match abandoned due to rain

14:32 hrs IST

Match abandoned

So the official word from the venue is that the match has been abandoned due to rain. Australia still lead 1-0 going into the last match of the series in Sydney on Sunday. Australia have gotten out of a jail as they are on the back foot for majority of the match and rain has come down to help them keep their noses ahead in the series.

16:25 hrs IST

The latest revised target

If the play resumes, India’s target will be 46 runs in 5 overs. However, as things stand, things look bleak and we are slowly and steadily approaching the cut-off time.

16:09 hrs IST

Rain playing hide and seek

Oops! The player came out and then made their way back into the pavilion as rain came down hard at the MCG. It will take some more time for the match to resume and the target could be further revised.

16:04 hrs IST

Revised target for India

The players are now making their way into the middle and the target for India is 90 runs in 11 overs.

15:48 hrs IST

Rain still hasn’t relented

It is still pouring at the venue and we have been losing overs for sometime now. As things stand, the India innings could be shortened to a 10-over chase. But we will wait for the official word to come in.

15:35 hrs IST

Revised target for India

Just when we thought the match will begin soon the covers are coming back on the pitch. India’s revised target is 137 in 19 overs (DLS). Stay tuned folks and we will keep updating you with the latest from the MCG.

15:25 hrs IST

Still drizzling at the MCG

IND vs AUS: Rain is still coming down hard at the venue and it seems that it will go like this for a while. No official word from as to when the rain would resume.

15:14 hrs IST

Rain returns

Bad news folks, the covers are back on at the MCG as rain has returned. There is going to be a further delay. Stay tuned folks we will keep updating you regarding the latest.

15:08 hrs IST

Covers coming off

It seems that it was just a passing shower and the covers are coming off at the venue. Australia will resume their innings at 132/7 in 19 overs.

14:57 hrs IST

Rain stops play

Virat Kohli is having an animated chat with the officials after rain stopped play at the MCG. With one over left in the Australian innings, it seems the DLS system will once again come into effect and we could get a revised target for India, something which happened in the first T20I.

14:51 hrs IST

Late boundaries hurt India

Rain has started to come down at the venue but it seems it is a passing shower so the play goes on. Bumrah concedes 10 runs from his over as there were two boundaries in it. One over left to be bowled in the innings.

14:45 hrs IST

Big over for Australia

This was the kind of over that Australia needed as they score 19 runs off the over from Khaleel. There were two boundaries and one huge six in the over as Australia add crucial runs to their total.

14:30 hrs IST

Excellent over from Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah in on it once again in the dying overs of the innings. He bowls the 17th over of the innings and concedes just 2 runs off it. Khaleel to bowl the next over now.

14:36 hrs IST

Bhuvi picks his second of the day

This was the wicket that India wanted as Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets rid of Nathan Coulter-Nile who was hitting boundaries for fun. After hitting a six, he was caught by Manish Pandey in the sweeper cover region. Australia have lost their seventh wicket now.

14:31 hrs IST

Coulter-Nile on the attack

With just five overs to go in the innings, all-rounder Nathan Coulter-Nile has started to take the attack to the visitors as he hits a huge six off Kuldeep and then hit a boundary off Krunal. He is striking the ball well at the moment and India need to get rid of him soon.

14:24 hrs IST

Kuldeep joins in the party, removes Carey

Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav picks his first wicket of the day as he gets rid of Alex Carey for 4. The batsman tried to sweep the delivery but it took a top-edge and went high in the air. Krunal takes a good catch near the mid wicket region.

14:16 hrs IST

Krunal picks a crucial wicket

After being hit for a boundary, Krunal Pandya gets rid of Glenn Maxwell by making a mess of his stumps. Krunal foxed Maxwell by spinning the ball away from the batsman’s body and it the top of the off stump. Australia have lost their fifth wicket now.

14:11 hrs IST

Krunal bowls a tight first over

Krunal Pandya was taken for 55 runs on the last match but he seems to have put that behind him and bowls a good first over. He concedes just 5 singles off it and there was a wide as well.

14:06 hrs IST

Steady start for Kuldeep

Kuldeep Yadav has been introduced into the attack as India look to pile on the pressure on the batsmen. He concedes just five runs from his first over and will look to attack more in the next few overs.

14:01 hrs IST

Bumrah picks his first wicket

The Indian skipper and bowler are overjoyed as the they play their part to perfection and Stoinis departs for 5. Bumrah deliberately bowled a short delivery to the right hander and he hit the ball into the hands of Karthik at sweeper cover. India have picked their fourth wicket of the day.

13:55 hrs IST

Khaleel makes a mess of Short’s stumps

Khaleel Ahmed picks his second wicket of the day as he gets rid of D’Arcy Short for 14. The southpaw missed the line of the delivery and it took an inside edge crashed into the stumps. Indian pacers are on fire at the moment.

13:51 hrs IST

Good first over from Bumrah

India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah bowls a good first over and kept asking the right questions to batsmen Glenn Maxwell on his off-stump. A boundary towards point on the last ball ruined the over somewhat but it was good over none the less. India are on top at the moment.

13:44 hrs IST

Khaleel strikes

Finally, India have managed to get hold of a catch as Krunal Pandya takes a good running catch near the sweeper cover region to dismiss Chris Lynn. Khaleel picks his first wicket of the day as Lynn departs for 13.

13:40 hrs IST

Chris Lynn on the attack

After getting the lifeline, Chris Lynn has started to cut loose as he takes the attack to Khaleel Ahmed. He hits a full toss over the bowler’s head for a boundary down the ground.

13:34 hrs IST

Two catches dropped in one over

India had the perfect opportunity to get rid of another Aussie batsman but keeper Pant couldn’t catch hold of the catch. After Bhuvi produced the edge of the Short’s (7) bat, Pant dove full length to his left and caught the ball. But just as his elbow hit the ground, the ball popped out of the glouves. Then, Lynn (1) hit the ball towards fine leg and Bumrah parried the ball for a six in trying to catch it. One has to feel for Bhuvneshwar here.

13:31 hrs IST

Steady start for Khaleel

D’Arcy Short hit a boundary on the third ball off Khaleel’s over straight down the ground but in total, he conceded just 7 runs. India need to pile on the pressure by bowling like this early on.

13:27 hrs IST

Excellent first over from Bhuvi

India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar concedes just two runs from his first over and picks the crucial wicket of Aaron Finch as well. Khaleel Ahmed will bowl the second over of the day now.

13:23 hrs IST

Perfect start for India

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has gotten rid of Aussie skipper Aaron Finch on the second ball of the day. Finch pokes at a delivery outside the off stump and edges the ball into the hands of keeper Rishabh Pant.

13:18 hrs IST

All ready to go

Teams are on the ground and the action is about to get underway at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the new ball in his hand and he will bowl the first over. D’Arcy Short and Aaron Finch will open the innings for the hosts

13:17 hrs IST

Finch at toss

Finch: I would have bowled first as well if I won the toss, like the other night. Not too fussed as the pitch won’t change in 40 overs. Hopefully put some runs on the board and put some pressure on them. One change. Billy Stanlake has hurt his ankle and Nathan Coulter-Nile replaces him.

13:10 hrs IST

Skipper Kohli during toss

“The wicket has been under covers for a while and the conditions are overcast and windy as well. I thought we did well chasing in the last game but Duckworth-Lewis made it beyond our reach. If we manage to bat better in certain situations, which we didn’t do last game, we should be able to do alright (in this game).”

13:01 hrs IST

Playing XIs

Australia: D Arcy Short, Aaron Finch(c), Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ben McDermott, Alex Carey(w), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Jason Behrendorff

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant(w), Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, K Khaleel Ahmed

12:54 hrs IST

Toss update

India have won the toss and skipper Virat Kohli has opted to bowl first. India are playing with the same side as the first T20I. Australia skipper Aaron Finch says during the toss that they also wanted to bowl first. A forced change for the hosts as Billy Stanlake has been ruled out and Nathan Coulter-Nile comes into the side in his place.

12:42 hrs IST

Good news folks, covers coming off

Good news folks, the covers are finally coming off at the MCG and the players are out in the middle warming up (tweets cricket.com.au). The toss should also take place soon.

12:32 hrs IST

Weather update

The pitch is covered once again at the MCG because of a passing shower. As things stand, it is being reported that toss will take place at the scheduled time i.e 12:50 PM IST. But it could be a start and stop kind of a game.

12:26 hrs IST

India need to improve fielding at MCG

Australia boasts of bigger grounds than in India, with bigger boundaries of course, and the MCG will prove to be another humongous challenge in that regard. The task is cut out in front of the team management to work on fielding angles to elevate their efforts in the second T20I. It doesn’t help that there is such a short turn-around time during this series, that fielding coach R Sridhar won’t be able to work with the players at the MCG.

12:20 hrs IST

Dropped chances hurt India in Brisbane

In the lead-up to the first match, skipper Kohli had spoken about the need to cut down on mistakes and regaining an upper hand at crucial junctures of a game. At Brisbane, the ‘Men in Blue’ were found slacking in the field and it proved to be the ultimate difference in a seesawing game. Even Kohli himself was guilty of poor effort on the field on at least two occasions, dropping counterpart Aaron Finch in the fourth over and later involved in a misfielding from the deep.

12:10 hrs IST

Weather update

Cricket Australia Twitter: “It’s been a wet old day in Melbourne, but the covers are OFF! There’s no rain and the sun’s even starting to breakthrough”.

12:00 hrs IST

Change in India’s bowling attack?

The team management could also be tempted to have a re-look at the bowling attack. On a grassy surface, Krunal Pandya was plundered for 55 runs in his four wicketless overs and was hit for as many as half a dozen sixes. If the MCG is also of Gabba’s nature, Kohli might be tempted to bring in leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who boasts of a brilliant wicket-taking record in T20Is.

11:50 hrs IST

The curious case of KL Rahul

The Indian batting line-up could see some rejigging in light of KL Rahul’s patchy form. Since scoring 101 not out in the first T20I against England at Manchester, Rahul hasn’t been able to cross the 30-run mark in next six matches. The team management has persisted with him at number three, benched Manish Pandey and the skipper demoting himself to number four. Consistency is need of the hour from Rahul, especially considering that he is also set to be a part of India’s top-order in the ensuing Test series.

11:40 hrs IST

India look to continue their streak

Having won seven consecutive bilateral T20 series, Kohli and his men will certainly want to make it eight in a row and for that they may be forced to rejig both their batting and bowling combinations. Bidding for an eighth victory on the bounce now doesn’t seem as straightforward a proposition as it looked earlier with the hosts ready to come all guns blazing after their all-round show in the first game.

11:30 hrs IST

Hello and welcome

A very warm welcome to the live blog of the second T20I between Australia and India at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). India lost the first match by four runs and will look to win this clash to force the match into the decider on Sunday.