Australia vs India, 2nd T20I at Melbourne, IND in AUS, Nov 23 2018 - Match Result

10 pm The weather, like life, turns on a dime. It's off at the MCG. The rain returned right after my last update and that was that. Australia take their 1-0 lead to the series decider at the SCG on Sunday.

Chad: "Thanks for nothing Melbourne!!"

The players are heading to their rooms and the fans are leaving the MCG. It's been a frustrating evening, but it comes with the territory!

Thank you for your patience today, and for your emails. We'll be back on Sunday for the series decider so do tune in then. That's all we've got on the commentary for tonight. Thank you for reading. Goodbye.

9.55 pm Covers still on the pitch, I'm afraid. It's beginning to look a bit final at the MCG ... and just as I hit publish on that ... Alex Malcolm tells me we might have a game! Play will restart at 10.02 pm five overs 46 target. Two over Powerplay, two bowlers can bowl a maximum of two overs. So Australia need only three bowlers really, but 46 off 30 balls is easily within reach.

9.50 pm I've been told that they need to start by 10.02 pm for a five-over game. Otherwise it's off. The rain has "almost stopped," says Andrew McGlashan at the MCG. If it is a five over game, India will need 46, which I'm sure most people would agree is rather gettable.

9.42 pm I see the ground staff taking the covers off the pitch, but we've seen that so often today, only for the rain to return as everyone is ready to play again.

Sarthak: "I'm at the MCG and the last time I was this frustrated was about 12 years ago when I had to wake up at 6 in the morning to study for my tests. What's the cutoff time to sneak in a 5-over chase?"

9.35 pm Thanks Alex! Finally we have some cricket ... the Aussies have taken the field. the Indian openers are about to walk out ... but the infernal rain is back!. This is just so frustrating.

The Aussies aren't happy, Rob: "90 in 11 overs is very stiff on Australia. If India's target at 19 overs was going to be 137, it means they've chopped off 47 runs in 8 overs. That is to say that in a 19 over game they've assumed India would be 47/0 after 8 overs chasing 7 runs an over if the game was going to be a tie. Highly unlikely methinks!"

The Indians aren't happy, Senthil Kumar: "Taking away 54 balls and just reducing 42 runs. What kind DLS method is this? Now, India has to start chasing at almost 9 runs per over."

Such a tough crowd to please!

9.30pm The umpires are with Aaron Finch and a couple of India coaching staff members.

Avi: "Alex, how many overs we have lost till now??" We don't know. We're all waiting. The players included.

The umpires say India have 11 overs to chase a target of 90. Powerplay is three overs. One bowler can bowl three overs. Four can bowl two. We start at 9.37pm. Two minutes away.

George will do the whole chase!

9.25pm Marcus Stoinis is out with the fourth umpire and just put his hand on the pitch and mouthed to the third umpire "Is the pitch wet?" So clearly they're still a little worried about a few things. Hence the delay.

No word on a revised target yet. Everyone is waiting.

9.20pm The ground staff are roping the outfield.

Raja AteeQ: "How the pitch and outfield will behave after this shower. Can it be a tough chase for india?" I would say it might favour India. The rain will have quickened up the surface making it better for batting. The ball will definitely get wet and probably won't swing for the quicks and make it challenging for Zampa and Tye.

Alister: "The rain has been gone for a good 10 minutes, why are they not back out there playing?" They're still checking the surrounds of the square. The outfield has absorbed a lot of water.

Nick: "Not only does it rain here in Australia this time of year, it was snowing a couple of days ago!" Yep. Amazing. And there's bush fires in NSW.

9.16pm It's stopped raining. The covers are off now. Hopefully a start shortly. The players are ready.

We are waiting for a revised target.

9.10pm From Andrew McGlashan at the ground: "Typical Melbourne, changes in an instant. Covers now being removed."

Raghu: "Kindly forgive my ignorance.. does it rain at this time of the year in australia?Or are these nonseasonal showers? " Melbourne is the most unpredictable city in Australia for weather. It can rain any time of the year, for 10 minutes, and then the sun can return. But it has been consistently wet this week and there is more rain due over the weekend.

Mark: "Seriously, give more games to Perth and Adelaide. Nice stadiums and great weather for cricket. Every summer there's rain in Sydney or the MCG."

The first two Tests are in Adelaide and Perth, Mark. But you can't fit this crowd in either stadium, even with Perth's new 60,000 seat stadium.

9.03pm Thanks George. Oh no, more rain! The covers are coming back on! This may change things again. The Australian players are headed back into the rooms. The pitch is covered and the bigger square covers are being pulled out.

Andrew McGlashan says the full square covers are being put on as it is raining quite heavily. What a shame this weather is.

Hemal Joshi: "I thought MCG has a roof !!! That you can close in case of rain !! " No roof at the 'G. There's a roof at Marvel Stadium, at Docklands on the other side of town.

9pm India need 137 in 19 overs. Aussies are warming up to field. 4 bowlers can bowl 4, one can bowl 3. Powerplay stays at 6 overs. I'll hand over to Alex Malcolm for the start of the chase. That begins in three minutes form now.

8.55 pm The rain has eased, but it's still there. Alex Malcolm says India's target will be 137 if it is a 19-over chase. I'll try and confirm that asap.

Covers are off, and a rope is being dragged across the outfield to deal with the surface moisture.

8.45 pm Roshmith T: "What's the update on the last over @George?" Still raining at the MCG, I'm afraid.

Ankit patel: "I think Kohli missed a trick here by not giving 18th over to bhuvenshwar. Weather would have been clearly visible . That's where Rohit is ahead of Kohli ." It's an interesting point. It's difficult to pre-empt such things in cricket, but yes with the rain falling - and what happened in the previous game, where India's best quicks had overs left when rain curtailed Australia's innings - it might have made sense for Kohli to get an over from Bhuvi out of the way, especially since he looked keen to get off the field.

8.40 pm We were looking okay to start shortly, but the rain has returned at the MCG. "Play was due to resume at 8.43 with no overs lost, but that could now change," says Andrew McGlashan from the ground.

Sundar S: "@Navnit Shetty: You assume India are favourites in the first place. Given how our batting becomes magically crappy when they get on a plane - the last SA and Eng tours are ample evidence - and how our bowlers can't take wickets after having the opposition 6 down, I am sure Aus were well and truly favourites to begin with. You argument only makes them even more favourites. We will be lucky if we can get away with a draw." Note to Australian fans - there's enough angst on the other side too!

8.35 pm Covers coming off! Hopeful of a restart at 8.43pm, not sure if Australia will bat their last over or not. Let'e wait and see.

Mudit: "Considering we Indians are great at criticising players with our expert knowledge, let me defend Khaleel and Kohli. Having a left arm fast bowler is extremely advantageous (see Pakistan) so grooming Khaleel at the age of 20 in Australia in a T20 series which India should win with even one bad bowler, seems fairly clever to me. Last pitch was a belter, and it was a close game. This game, Indian bowling has dominated and Khaleel had 3 good overs. Let's just let our boys play."

RP: "Guys guys, give Khaleel a break! He ain't going to improve if he doesn't play regularly against top quality batsmen! And it's not like India have plethora of left arm seamers in the wing!"

Aditya Pidapart: "I am always surprised how quickly support turns. Before he played, there was a clamour for putting Pant in the team. Every bye run while Saha, Patel or Karthik were keeping was a case for giving a "youngster" the chance on the assumption he would magically be the perfect keeper. Then once he got into the team, which was way way premature, he's being demonized again at every bye run and little missed chance. If one wants to blood a youngster it is foolish to expect no growing pains. "

8.25 pm A crowd of 60,400 at the MCG, says Alex Malcolm. Let's hope this rain goes away for their sake. It's been such a frenetic finish to the innings.

Kohli's still having a chat to the umpires on the outfield, so the rain has probably eased. Andrew McGlashan says it's all but stopped. "The umpire is wearing his helmet for the inspection."

If they restart before 8.40, India will bowl the last over of Australia's innings.

Navnit Shetty: "Assuming these T20s are a peek into what's to come in the 4 tests, the wicket keeping and general fielding looks to be a liability! Am going to stick my neck out and say this puts the teams on par and India will do well to draw the test series!"

Siva : "That Khaleel's expensive over could be massive.Especially with the weather, it might have just titled the scales towards Australia."

Ketan Patel: "@George, who in your opinion are the best limited overs side to look forward to in the 50 overs World Cup next summer in the UK?? About this game, has Australia got enough considering the conditions?" England and India should be shoo-ins for two semi-final spots. I think Australia will struggle if the conditions are flat, as most ODIs have been in England in recent years.

8.20 pm - rain halts play Well, well - 140 certainly on the cards now. But will the rain change the dynamics of the chase? Wet ball, skiddy pitch, and DLS?

BUT the rain has got too heavy and the umpires have taken the players off the field, with one over to go in Australia's innings.

Diwakar: "It's good to groom youngsters but Pant's keeping inspires no confidence. "

Rohith: "You said weather forecast is okay George ;)" Sorry! I was being optimistic.

Shouvik G.: "Regardless of the two wickets, Khaleel has looked pretty ordinary in this match, just like the previous one. Not sure why he keeps getting the nod with the likes of Umesh and Chahal sitting the games out. Kohli's strategy seldom makes at least obvious sense anymore. "

Aman Pandey: "With the overcast conditions, the kind of help pacers are getting, Australia have got themselves a fighting total."

The umpire's having a word with Kohli, who does not look happy about something. It's probably about playing in this rain.

Rajat Saxena: "I am quite convinced that Chahal has got to play for Khaleel. Khaleel is not there yet, he has a good record against some low ranked teams. Once he is going to be up against the top batsmen, like Australia, England, SA and NZ he would struggle."

It's begun to rain at the MCG.

Swaminathan: "Dont know how Kohli decides on who keeps the wickets.. my obvious choice would have been DK"

Surendar: "I was speaking with my colleague when khaleel was bowling his 3rd over that he should be bowling all his quota of 4 overs in this spell itself and he would be going for runs at the death ..how accurate is my prediction."

Avinash: "Aus-M are imploding the way Ind-W imploded earlier today against Eng-W in T20 WC Semis. Argh, I got up at 5 AM to watch that shabby performance."

Bumrah from over the wicket