Rain may spoil India’s 2nd T20I vs Australia in Melbourne:Suryakumar Yadav rediscovers form, Men in Blue gunning for 10th win in a row

After a washout in the first T20I in Canberra, India is set to face Australia for the second game of the series at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on 31 October. Before the first game, Suryakumar Yadav’s form with the bat and the relatively young squad’s first experience on Aussie pitches were a concern. Suryakumar Yadav displayed sparks of brilliance in Canberra In the short time that fans got to see the India skipper at Manuka Oval, he seemed in exemplary form with the bat. Suryakumar Yadav was hitting left, right and centre, smashing 39 runs off 24 balls. It is worth noting that he came when India’s one down, yet he scored the highest runs, more than opener Shubman Gill (34* in 20). One of the highlights of his innings was the humongous 125-metre six that he hit off Josh Hazlewood’s delivery. However, rain had the last word in Canberra as the match was abandoned with India strongly placed at 97 for one after 9.4 overs, and both Suryakumar and Shubman Gill were in the mood to crush the Australian attack. Bowling looks solid, but yet to be tested India didn’t get to bowl in Canberra, but as far as that department is concerned, they boast of Jasprit Bumrah’s class and Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are deadly enough in the middle overs. Australia can still make matches tricky despite India’s dominance Despite the dominance that India batters showed against Australian bowlers in the first T20I, they will have to face big hitters Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, who have troubled India in the past. Australia’s T20 brand of cricket is focused on playing attacking cricket irrespective of the match situation. With Head, Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Josh Iglis, the hosts can mount big totals and pull off chases against quality bowling. IND vs AUS 2nd T20I match details Head-to-head record In terms of head-to-head record in T20Is, India and Australia in total have played 33 matches in total, out of which the Men in Blue have won 20 matches, while the Aussies have won 11 games. On the other hand, while playing Down Under, India has registered victory in 7 matches out of 13 games vs Australia. 2 matches ended with no result out of these matches. MCG pitch report Traditionally, the MCG pitch in October is known to be on the slower side with true bounce. So it should help the classic hitters instead of the power hitters. However, the pitch doesn’t turn into a flat track, so bowlers can get some assistance, especially with variations in pace and length. Seam bowlers may find some movement initially, but spinners will have the edge later as the pitch gets slower. There are also chances of dew covering the ground in the second innings. So, bowlers might face some trouble. Overall, the pitch does not favour either department completely, with a balanced display from the pitch. Weather in Melbourne: There are chances of rain showers in Melbourne as well, with temperatures hovering between 20 degrees Celsius and 12 degrees Celsius throughout the match. However, the probability of precipitation during the daytime is 93%, which is expected to come down to 25% at night. Although heavy rainfall is not expected, showers might delay the match proceedings.