IND vs AUS: Persistent rain in Canberra washed out the opening T20I of the five-match series between India and Australia on Wednesday, denying fans a potential thriller and cutting short a promising knock from Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
The match, held at the Manuka Oval, had already been shortened to 18 overs per side due to an earlier weather interruption before another heavy downpour forced an eventual abandonment later in the evening.
When play was halted for the second and final time, India had reached 97 for 1 in 9.5 overs, with Suryakumar looking in fine touch on a rejuvenating return to form. The Indian captain had smashed two fours and a six off Nathan Ellis in a single over and seemed well set for a big score.
He had also survived
a tough chance on 18 when Josh Philippe misjudged a running catch at mid-on. Suryakumar's knock - one of his most fluent in recent months - hinted at a return to the explosive rhythm he displayed during the IPL earlier this year.
After Australia's Mitchell Marsh continued his remarkable streak of winning tosses and opted to bowl first, Abhishek Sharma set the tone early by attacking Josh Hazlewood's opening delivery, carving boundaries with fearless intent. However, his quickfire cameo came to an end in the powerplay, driving one straight to Tim David off Nathan Ellis, who struck in his very first over.
Shubman Gill, batting confidently at the other end, survived a close lbw call against Ellis - with replays showing the ball just clipping the top of the stumps - and later showcased his timing by launching Matt Kuhnemann for a six over midwicket.
Suryakumar's brief but thrilling exchange with Hazlewood in the fifth over was one of the highlights of the night. The Australian seamer tested him with pace and movement, but the Indian skipper countered with an audacious flick over deep square leg.
India fielded a spin-heavy attack featuring Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy, alongside pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana. Nitish Kumar Reddy missed out due to injury, while Australia were without Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, and Adam Zampa. Ultimately, though, the rain proved the biggest winner in Canberra, forcing both sides to share the spoils in the series opener.
