Rohit, Kohli power India to 184

However, it was Kohli who finished on 58 not out that helped India reach a total of 184 runs.

Welcome to the live coverage of the 2nd Twenty20 match between India and Australia being held at the MCG. Australian openers Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh gave their side a good start as they had an opening partnership of 94 off 59 balls but then Indian spinners came to stop them. Kohli also joined the act, coming down the track and taking on the Aussie bowlers with full aggression. Dhoni missed a stumping off Marsh in Jadeja’s first over, before Umesh Yadav parried a six-bound finch shot over the midwicket fence while making a bold attempt to catch in Jadeja’s next. But Jadeja took a stunning reflex return catch off Watson in the 15th over.

This was after Australia won the toss and elected to field first.

Australia made six changes to their XI but this year’s World Cup hosts continued to pummel an understrength attack. Steven Smith and David Warner were rested in lieu of their Saturday departure for New Zealand, while Travis Head, Shaun Tait, Kane Richardson and Cameron Boyce were left to cool their heels and wonder whether they have done enough to earn World T20 selection. India, on the other hand, went in with an unchanged line-up.

Finch’s decision to send India in started positively after they kept the visitors to 0-12 from the first three overs. They added 65 runs over the next six overs to again set India on the way to a big score.

It didn’t stop Rohit though and he brought up his eighth T20I fifty off 37 balls in the next over. That opened the floodgates, with Rohit hitting James Faulkner for three boundaries in the very next over of the innings.

Rohit and Kohli put on swift 46 runs, with Kohli contributing the majority of runs.

Rohit, who hit two centuries and a 99 in the preceding one-day series that Australia won 4-1, was run out for 60 after smashing two sixes and five fours. Medium-pacer Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with two wickets as well, while Yuvraj Singh also had great match, giving away only seven runs in his two overs.