Join us for live scores, team lineups and commentary of the second Australia vs India Twenty20 match, with Australia looking for another win and India looking for their first win of their tour. The match starts at 7.35 pm AEDT tonight from the MCG in Melbourne
Australia out-batted and out-bowled India in the opening T20I and despite the talk about the young Indian legs making a difference to the side’s fortunes, the visitors lost by a healthy 31 runs.
David Warner exploded early, and with Matthew Wade making a big score, Xavier Doherty and Brad Hogg delivering with the ball, and David Hussey doing everything right in the match, there was enough of a difference to make it comfortable for Australia.
If allowing Australia to get away to 171 was bad enough, the loss of five wickets in the middle overs for 34 runs meant that India were left to do too much towards the end of the game.
Only Gautam Gambhir for a short period and MS Dhoni – when it was far too late – showed a semblance of fighting spirit, but 172 was never going to be an easy chase.
What would have surprised both the fans and the players alike will be the capitulation of the Indian batsmen to slow bowling. Hussey, Doherty and Hogg bowled 10 overs and finished with combined figures of 3/48 – impressive even at Test level let alone a Twenty20.
At the MCG, Australia may want to go in with an extra pace bowler and one of Hogg or Doherty could be given the axe.
Similarly, India will look at their bowling attack more closely and may well want to play an extra pacer. With Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma expected to roll their arm over, carrying two main spinners in R Ashwin and Rahul Sharma seems to be a bit of a luxury on the quicker Australian tracks.
Umesh Yadav could get a game in place of Sharma.
I expect a far closer game this one with a possibility of the match going down to the wire but the home team to still come home unscathed.
We will bring you the coverage throughout second T20I from Melbourne and hope to receive your opinions as the action unfolds.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
62,275
Prdeep singh
Guest
Congratulations team india for a comprehensive victory. We hope that india will keep it up this performence in the upcoming matches and will repeat the history of 2008
Jason Cave
Guest
What was the attendance for tonight's T20 International match at the MCG?
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
The ODI tri-series will now begin from Sunday when the two teams India and Australia meet at the MCG. Sri Lanka will join them as the third side later next week. That's it from me, and we will be back with the live coverage for the ODI tri-series.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Shaun Marsh continued to make life easy for the scorers, George Bailey did not answer any questions around his batting form while Matthew Wade showed that he can bat anywhere in the order. Aaron Finch's quick-fire 36 was the cornerstone of the Australian innings before he was run-out. Hogg and Mitchell Marsh got a wicket apiece while Lee sent down his four overs for 24.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
It was India all the way tonight. Bowled decently, fielded magnificently and then batted sensibly to wrap up a convincing eight-wicket win. Ravindra Jadeja had a couple of run-outs and a caught and bowled to his name and there were a couple of other run-outs as well. Australia did not bat well and kept losing wickets regularly. They went for too many shots because they were hindered by the opponent's fielding efforts. A target of 132 was not going to be enough unless they got some early wickets but Sehwag and Gambhir shut down that option. By the time Sehwag threw his wicket away, India had gotten to 43 and Kohli batted and ran well to push India towards the win. A word about Dhoni as well; he had a stumping, was involved in two of the run-outs and had two catches to go with his unbeaten 21. Fine all-round performance from him.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Four! Yep, that's finally a win for India in Australia. Took a long time coming - almost one and a half months - but a good win all the same. Gambhir smacks it through mid-wicket to get India an eight-wicket victory. He remains unbeaten 56, Dhoni is 21 not out.
Justin
Guest
Yes he is a gun....popping right now but he will come good and ave 40!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Three dots in a row from McKay! They still need one from three. Nerves jangling now...
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Another dot ball now! 1 off four needed. A wicket here will make things fun.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
McKay to bowl. Dot ball to begin with. 1 off 5 needed.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Just two from that Hussey over. 1 needed now and an over to go.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Hussey with the 19th over. A single off the third ball, means they need 2 from nine.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Djokovic serves that forehand smash into the open court. Dhoni smashes a short ball to long-on. Three runs. 3 needed off 12 balls.Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Another misfield by Australia off an overthrow gives Gambhir three instead of two. Gets Gambhir to a well-deserved half-century, his seventh 50 in this format. 9 off 15 now needed.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Four! Short and pulled by Dhoni. McKay misfields it at the fine-leg and the ball trickles into the fence. Eight runs off that over and Lee ends with 0/24 in 4. 12 needed off 18.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
...smashed! Only Lee's foot on the follow-through stopped that from being a four! That will hurt Lee. Dhoni will know Lee's saved his boundary. 2/115 in 16.3.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Brett Lee with his last over now...
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Single off the last ball of the over to Gambhir takes him to 45. 20 needed from the last four overs.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Bouncer! And at this stage of the game too, Gambhir has trouble picking it up. No fielder close-by. 21 off 25 needed.