Rain washes out the first match of the T20I series.

Rain washes out the first match of the T20I series.

Rain in Canberra forced the first T20I between Australia and India to be abandoned with India on 97/1.

Rain played spoilsport in Canberra as the first T20I between Australia and India was called off. India had reached 97/1 in 9.4 overs when heavy rain returned and ended the match for good.

Earlier, Australia won the toss and chose to bowl. Abhishek Sharma started brightly with three boundaries in the first two overs. Shubman Gill also found his rhythm with a couple of fours before Nathan Ellis dismissed Abhishek using a clever slower ball.

Suryakumar Yadav, who had been struggling for form, looked sharp and hit the first six of the innings before rain interrupted play. After a short break, the match resumed as an 18-over contest. Both Gill and Suryakumar picked up the pace, with the skipper especially looking dangerous.

Gill smashed a slog sweep off Matthew Kuhnemann, and Suryakumar punished Ellis with back-to-back boundaries and a six. Just as India looked set for a big total, rain returned and forced the match to be abandoned.

The second match of the series will be played on Friday, October 31, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Brief scores: India 97/1 in 9.4 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 39, Shubman Gill 37) vs Australia - No Result