Rain Halts India’s Fiery Start Against Australia in Canberra T20
What started as a thrilling evening of T20 cricket between India’s women’s team and Australia turned into a rain-soaked disappointment in Canberra. The highly anticipated opening match of the five-match series had all the makings of a classic — aggressive batting, electric partnerships, and promising momentum — until the weather decided otherwise.
India got off to a confident start after being asked to bat first. Abhishek Sharma opened with flair, finding the gaps early and setting the tone with a few crisp strokes. However, his innings was cut short when he mistimed a delivery from Nathan Ellis and was caught by Tim David for 19. Even so, the early aggression had already energized the Indian camp.
Following his dismissal, Shubman Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav took charge of the innings in spectacular style. Their partnership of 62 runs off just 35 balls completely changed the tempo of the match. Gill was striking cleanly, sitting unbeaten on 37 off 20 deliveries, while SKY — as Suryakumar is fondly known — showcased his trademark creativity, smashing 39 from just 24 balls. Together, they made batting look effortless, mixing power with precision and entertaining the Canberra crowd despite the persistent drizzle.
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However, just when India looked poised for a big total — cruising at 97 for 1 after 9.4 overs — the skies opened up once again. The rain, which had briefly interrupted play earlier, returned with full force, forcing the players off the field. Multiple inspections followed, but the conditions only worsened, and the umpires had no choice but to call off the match.
It was a frustrating end to what was shaping up to be an exciting contest. The match was officially abandoned due to rain, with India’s promising innings left incomplete. Had the game been shortened to a five-over contest, Australia’s DLS target would have been 71 — but even that chance was washed away.
The match also brought some unfortunate news off the field. India’s all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the first three T20s due to neck spasms, compounding the injury woes that began with Shreyas Iyer’s spleen injury during the Sydney ODI.
Despite the damp ending, the signs were positive for India. The intent shown by Gill and Suryakumar reflected a confident mindset, suggesting that this series could still deliver plenty of fireworks — weather permitting. The teams now move to Melbourne for the second T20, hoping for clearer skies and more cricketing action.
The fans may have gone home disappointed, but India’s short burst of dominance under cloudy Canberra skies gave everyone a glimpse of what this team is capable of when the sun shines.
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