- Australia wins! What a game we had and Umesh Yadav fails to stop the ball whizzing past him as Pat Cummis smashes it to long-on and even the best throw couldn't stop the batsmen from takingg the couple. Australia get out of the jail and despite a late fightback, India goes down. Australia draws first blood. Takes 1-0 lead.
- FOUR - Bad ball from Umesh Yadav and Pat Cummins puts it away. Australia needs 2 runs from the final delivery.
- FOUR - Jhye Richardson smacks one through the mid-wicket for a boundary. Australia needs 9 from 4.
- Umesh Yadav to bowl the last over.
- WICKET - Jasprit Bumrah you beauty! Full, inswinging yorker that goes right under Nathan Coulter-Nile's bat and the leg stump has taken a beating. India believe it can win a thriller. Australia 113/7. Needs 14 off six.
- WICKET - Australia loses its sixth wicket and Australia is under serious pressure. Jasprit Bumrah is the man and Peter Handscomb gets a top edge and MS Dhoni, calm as ever, settles under the skier. Australia 113/6 after 18.5 overs. Needs 14 runs in 7 deliveries.
- This match is going down the wire and it will be Jasprit Bumrah to bowl the most-important penultimate over. Australia requires 15 runs off 10 deliveries.
- WICKET - Krunal Pandya strikes and he has cleaned up Ashton Turner for a duck. India is fighting and picking wickets. Australia 102/5 after 16.2 overs. Needs 25 runs in 22 deliveries.
- Excellent over from Umesh Yadav and the Indians have found a spring in their feet. Every dot from here will be gold. Australia 101/4 after 16 overs. Needs 26 runs in 24 balls.
- WICKET - A miscommunication between D Arcy Short and Peter Handscomb sees the former fall short of his crease. Australia 101/4 after 15.2 overs. Needs 26 runs in 28 balls. Can India make a turnaround?
- 100 up for Australia in 15.1 overs and D Arcy Short has kept the innings going.
- WICKET - Yuzvendra Chahal gets Glenn Maxwell but it might be late for India as Australia is in complete control. Australia 89/3 after 13.3 overs. Needs 38 runs in 39 balls.
- Krunal Pandya has bowled economically so far and has kept a tight line against the big-hitting Maxwell. But, India needs wickets. Australia 71/1 after 11 overs.
Mayank Markande almost had his first international wicket in T20Is but the ball falls just short of a diving Rohit Sharma at deep mid-wicket.
Fifty up for Australia as D Arcy Short dispatches a slower delivery from Mayank Markande to the cover boundary. Australia 51/2 after eight overs.
Debutant Mayank Markande introduced into the attack.
The pair of Glenn Maxwell and D Arcy Short seem to have got their eyes in and with the asking run-rate not much, Australia is looking good. Australia 44/2 after seven overs. Needs 83 runs in 78 deliveries.
Glenn Maxwell has teed off ever since his arrival and India needs to pick wickets. Won't be easy defending a small total. Australia 34/2 after 5.1 overs.
Umesh Yadav into the attack.
WICKET - India is in the game defending a small total as Jasprit Bumrah traps Aaron Finch for a duck. Australia 5/2 after 2.2 overs.
WICKET- India strikes early and Umesh Yadav with a sharp throw produces a wicket. D Arcy Short guides it to backward square, Marcus Soinis sets off and is sent back, Umesh throws the ball and Yuzvendra Chahal gathers it to remove the bails. Australia 5/1 after two overs.
We are back for the chase and it will be Marcus Stoinis and D Arcy Short on strike. Jasprit Bumrah to open the attack.
End of Innings: India stutters after a good start to post 126/7. Barring KL Rahul who hit an enterprising half-century the rest of the batsmen failed to get their eyes in. MS Dhoni with an unbeaten 37-ball 29 failed to get any support. Will be back for Australia's reply in a while.
SIX - Finally MS Dhoni connects one as he sends a full delivery from Nathan Coulter-Nile over sweeper cover.
Australia has managed to keep MS Dhoni quiet and the former India skipper is finding it hard to get boundaries. India 117/7 after 18.2 overs.
WICKET - India loses its seventh wicket as Umesh Yadav departs. MS Dhoni is left stranded with three overs to go. India will definitely aim to get at least 130 in the rest three overs. India 109/7 after 17.2 overs.
WICKET - Nathan Coulter-Nile picks his third wicket and a needless shot from Krunal Pandya puts India in deep trouble. Krunal goes for a hoick but the length delivery climbs on him, takes the top edge and Glenn Maxwell doesn't drop too many. India 102/6 after 15.3 overs.
100 up for India in 14.5 overs as MS Dhoni holds the key in the last five overs.
WICKET - Nathan Coulter-Nile picks his second wicket and flattens the middle stump of Dinesh Karthik. Nothing shot from Karthik and he walks down the track with an intention to drive a length delivery but the ball sneaks through to castle the middle stump. India in trouble. India 95/5 after 13.3 overs.
Dinesh Karthik joins MS Dhoni in the middle.
WICKET - Australia gets the prized scalp of KL Rahul as the opener falls for 50. Makes room, tries to clear the in-field but gets the toe end of the bat and Aaron Finch takes a simple catch at mid-off. India 93/4 after 12.4 overs.
FIFTY for KL Rahul - Brilliant innings from KL Rahul as he brings up his half-century in 35 balls. He holds the key along with MS Dhoni. India 91/3 after 12 overs.
Dhoni is off the mark after facing a couple of dot deliveries. It was a risky second run but MS makes it - thanks to a poor throw from the deep. India 87/3 after 11.2 overs.
MS Dhoni joins KL Rahul.
WICKET - Brain fade from Rishabh Pant. Brilliant piece of fielding from Behrendorff sees Australia fetch another wicket. Pant sets off the single straightaway after hitting past cover but KL Rahul denied and Handscomb whips the bails off. India 81/3 after 10.3 overs.
Rishabh Pant is the new batsman.
WICKET - Adam Zampa strikes and he gets the prized wicket of India skipper Virat Kohli. Tossed up delivery, Kohli goes down the track but fails to get to the pitch of the ball and hits it straight into the hands of Nathan Coulter-Nile at long-on. India 77/2 after 9.2 overs.
KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are keeping the Australians busy. While the former is dealing in boundaries the India skipper is nicely rotating the strike with quick running between the wickets. India 65/1 after eight overs.
Trivia: The last time KL Rahul went past 30 he went on to score 101 against England.
KL Rahul is in fine form and he is finding the boundaries with ease. A six followed by a couple of boundaries has given India much needed momentum. India 38/1 after five overs.
WICKET - Rohit Sharma departs early to leave India one down. India 20/1 after 3.2 overs.
FOUR - Nice and easy as Jhye Richardson after bowling a couple of good deliveries bowls one full on the pads and Rahul flicks it for a boundary. The outfield is lighting fast. India 12/0 after two overs.
FOUR - KL Rahul is off the mark with a boundary as he flicks a length delivery fine for a boundary.
Excellent first over from Jason Behrendorff and has kept the Indian openers on their toes. India 1/0 after one over.
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are out there in the middle and it will be Jason Behrendorff who will start proceedings for Australia.
Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni(w), Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Umesh Yadav, Mayank Markande, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Australia: Aaron Finch(c), D Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb(w), Ashton Turner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa
- Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first.
- Mayank Markanded will make his T20I debut against Australia and the spinner gets his India cap from skipper Virat Kohli.
Preview
It is worth asking what purpose T20 matches will serve when a team has only a handful of competitive international fixtures left ahead of a 50-over World Cup.
India’s home limited-overs series against Australia -- which begins with the first of two T20s here on Sunday and will be followed by five ODIs -- is its last scheduled engagement before the side heads to the UK in May. In between, players will be involved in the IPL, but that may hardly be classified as preparation. There is, simply, no great context to these games.
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