India were frustrated by rain for the second match in a row on their tour of Australia, with the second match of the series a washout.
The tourists bowlers had the better of the 19 overs they bowled before rain put a stop to play, but the washout means that India cannot win the series – and can only hope to share the trophy with a win in Sydney.
Australia v India
Sunday, 25 November
The Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
09:50
To Win Match
Australia 23/20
Tie 35/1
India 72/100
Australia
Australia will be well aware that they are fortunate to be going into the final match of the series with a 1-0 lead, having been outplayed by India for the bulk of the two matches played. Much of Australia’s problems centre around their misfiring top order.
Since D’arcy Short hit 68 not out against the UAE last month he has endured a horror run with the bat scoring just 37 runs in six T20I innings, with a top score of 14. Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis have all showed signs of being able to put in a shift, but they all lack consistency.
Ben McDermott played a stunted cameo before the rain came in Melbourne, but the knock of 32 not out will do him the world of good after a rocky start to his international career, partly due to a string of unlucky run-outs. The son of former Australia quick Craig still has his work cut out for him to hold onto his place in the Twenty20 set-up.
Adam Zampa starred in the first T20I and was arguably the only reason Australia scraped a Duckworth-Lewis System win – and now stand a chance to claim their first win in a bilateral series of any format since the Ashes.
India
The tour of Australia hasn’t had the best of starts for Virat Kohli and his team, with the weather playing havoc.
Khaleel Ahmed bounced back well to claim two scalps, but he was clearly targeted by Australia as someone to go after. He has made a tremendous start to his career, but it won’t get any easier from here on in for the left-arm seamer. If he can put in a good performance in Sydney, it would rob Australia of their release valve and put India in a great position.
Australia struggled against Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, as well as spinner Kuldeep Yadav, but would not have their batting effort tested by India’s master chasers.
Kohli will want to stamp his mark on this tour after failing in the opener – and missing out on batting due to the rain in Melbourne.
Verdict: India 72/100
Australia don’t look like they have the quality to beat India across a full 40 overs.
