After being thumped comprehensively 4-1 in the ODI series, the Aussies were looking to come back strongly in the first of the three-match T20I series at Ranchi.
With regular captain Steve Smith having to fly home due to a shoulder injury, David Warner took over the skipper duties for the T20Is.
Shikhar Dhawan returned to the side after missing the ODIs to attend to his ailing wife while Kuldeep Yadav took up the spot of the second spinner instead of Axar Patel.
Australia meanwhile recalled their T20I specialists Moises Henriques, Daniel Christian, Andrew Tye and Glenn Maxwell. Left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff was handed his maiden international cap for his country.
Captain @imVkohli wins the toss. Elects to bowl first #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/vmHusSPcI5
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 7, 2017
Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field first, taking the weather conditions into play on an overcast day at Ranchi while Warner quipped that he would have chosen to bat first anyway.
The visitors were rocked in the very first over of their innings when Warner chopped on a Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivery onto his stumps.
Aaron Finch and Maxwell then took control and the former particularly looked in impressive touch, carrying on in the same vein as his ODI showings.
Yuzvendra Chahal pegged Australia back once again when he dismissed Maxwell for the fourth time in as many innings. The right-handed batsman swatted a poor delivery from the wrist-spinner straight into the hands of Jasprit Bumrah at short mid-wicket.
Finch’s cameo was ended by some beautiful bowling from Yadav after the Aussie opener was clean bowled attempting to sweep a full and quicker delivery for a 30-ball 42.
The visitors’ middle-order failed once again in Ranchi as Travis Head and Moises Henriques fell cheaply to Hardik Pandya and Yadav respectively.
Bumrah showed his death-bowling prowess once again when he shattered the stumps of Tim Paine and Nathan Coulter-Nile in the same over with a couple of in-swinging fuller deliveries.
Not much going Australia’s way at the moment. AUS 8-118, 8 balls remaining. #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/LqjGKDqKZs
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) October 7, 2017
All-rounder Dan Christian tried to get the innings going again but he was run-out by a brilliant direct-hit from long-on of all places by Indian skipper Kohli to reduce Australia to 114-8 in the penultimate over.
The pitch at Ranchi played slow with the ball not coming onto the bat easily while many deliveries kept alarmingly low.
The weather-gods played their hands in the penultimate over as heavy showers forced the umpires to take the teams off the pitch.
The extended rain-delay caused the umpires to call-off Australia’s innings as India will be set a revised target under the Duckworth Lewis method when play restarts.
Australia 118-8 (18.4 overs)
Aaron Finch – 42 (30)
Jasprit Bumrah – 2-17 (Three overs)
Kuldeep Yadav – 2-16 (Four overs)
