After the rain-ruined opening fixture in Canberra, India and Australia will renew their rivalry in the second T20I of the five-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday, October 31. Both sides will be keen to take the early lead and build momentum in the contest.
The series opener at the Manuka Oval saw only 9.4 overs of play before persistent rain forced an abandonment. Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh had opted to field first after winning the toss, putting Suryakumar Yadav’s in-form Indian batting line-up under the spotlight.
India carried forward their aggressive approach from the Asia Cup 2025, with opener Abhishek Sharma looking dangerous early on before falling for 19 to Nathan Ellis. Shubman Gill and skipper Suryakumar then took charge, delighting the crowd with a flurry of boundaries. Gill remained unbeaten on 37 off 20 balls, while Suryakumar looked back in his element with 39* off 24 before rain cut short India’s innings at 80 for 1.
Australia’s bowling unit had little to cheer about, with Ellis being the lone wicket-taker (1/25). Even senior pacer Josh Hazlewood went wicketless, conceding 24 runs from his two overs. The hosts will hope for a stronger performance at the MCG to counter India’s free-flowing top order.
Weather Outlook
Rain continues to hover as a potential spoiler in Melbourne too. The forecast predicts overcast skies and light showers around the start of play, although conditions are expected to improve later in the evening. Temperatures will range between 13°C and 21°C, with humidity around 40% and winds blowing at 6 km/h.
Match Details
Fixture: 2nd T20I – India vs Australia
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Date: Friday, October 31
Time: 1:45 PM IST (7:15 PM local time)
Where To Watch India Vs Australia T20 Match LIVE Online?
The cricket fans in India can watch the match LIVE on Star Sports Network in multiple languages. Whereas the new-age netizens can catch the action on the JioHotstar website and app.
It has to be noted that the fans need to have a subscription to Jio Hotstar app in order to watch the full match.
DTH Provider Apps: If you are subscribed to Colours Kannada through a DTH service like or another cable provider, you can often stream the live channel directly through their respective mobile apps or websites.
Telecom Plan Bundles: Several telecommunications providers, such as , and i, often include a complimentary Disney+ Hotstar subscription with certain prepaid or postpaid plans. Check your mobile plan details to see if you have access.
Squads
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jitesh Sharma
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Tim David, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Philippe, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis