India seal T20I series 2-1 after Brisbane washout

No result India 52 for 0 (Gill 29*, Abhishek 23*) vs Australia

India claimed a 2-1 series victory over Australia in an anti-climax after the fifth and final T20I was abandoned due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in Brisbane.

After being sent in to bat, there had been intrigue over how India's top-order would fare on a Gabba surface with plenty of bounce and carry. But with their nemesis Josh Hazlewood in Ashes prep mode and again not in the line-up, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill plundered 52 runs before play came to a halt after 4.5 overs.

Abhishek did have luck having been dropped twice, but Gill was in sweet touch as he smacked 29 off 16 balls.

The series ended the same way it began after rain ruined the opening T20I in Canberra. Australia dominated game two in front of 82,000 fans at the MCG, largely thanks to a rampant Hazlewood but India ultimately prevailed in the series after their spinners gained a stranglehold on slower surfaces in Hobart and the Gold Coast.

India will head home well pleased ahead of their T20 World Cup title defence on home soil.

"The way everyone chipped in every game, it was a complete team effort with the bat, ball and in the field," India captain Suryakumar Yadav said.

"I saw what happened with the women's team winning the World Cup in India, having unbelievable support. When you play at home there is pressure but at the same there is a lot of excitement."

In their final hit-out in the format before the T20 World Cup, Australia's aggressive batting approach against high-quality spin attacks has come under scrutiny although recriminations are unlikely amid Ashes hysteria.

"I don't think I can remember the last time we had so many rain interruptions," Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said. "I think there are a lot of learnings to take forward, a lot of positives. The flexibility of our group and the squad that we're trying to build in a World Cup year has been amazing."

Earlier, a grinning Marsh once again won the toss but his mood soon soured after the start India's openers got.

There was no settling in for left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis as Abhishek bludgeoned a trademark boundary over mid-off on the fourth delivery of the match.

He tried to repeat the dose on the next ball only to miscue high into the air where Glenn Maxwell nestled under having trudged back from mid-off. A resigned Abhishek had already begun walking off only for the unthinkable to happen, with Maxwell spilling a straightforward catch.

While Abhishek lived dangerously, Gill was in sublime touch as he stroked four boundaries off Dwarshuis' second over with the best being a gorgeous cover drive. Gill was in the type of commanding form that had eluded him during a tough tour - which started with an ODI series defeat in his captaincy debut in the format - and he looked determined to finish on a high.

Abhishek, on 11, received another life when he was dropped by Dwarshuis who ran in from fine-leg before compounding Nathan Ellis' misery by smashing him over midwicket for six.

Typical for Brisbane this time for year, bad weather loomed large and the players went off due to lightning before heavy rain cascaded onto the ground in a major disappointment for the sold-out crowd.