India vs Australia 1st T20I: Rain obstructs play in Brisbane

Brisbane: The covers are on at the Gabba after heavy drizzles have interfered the play. India has won the toss and elected to bowl first. They got the start they wanted but things it's been a rough ride for the bowlers in the last few overs, with Australia flexing their muscles. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are well set and a will be eyeing something around the 200-mark. After 17 overs the match the match was halted for an hour due to rain.

Score after 17 overs
Australia scored 158-4, McDermott 2*, Stoinis 33*
Kuldeep Yadav 2/24, Khaleel Ahmed 1/42.

Under the Duckworth Lewis method, the visitors' target is 174 from 17 overs.

Pitch Report
Brett Lee observes that there is a nice covering of grass. Not many cracks are evident and the surface looks rock hard. The white ball should fly through. Opines that the conditions seem to be a little bit swirly which will make the ball talk.

Preview:
The Indian team has secured their previous seven T20I series and eager to extend their dominance in the shortest-format, yet again. Men in Blue, led by MS Dhoni had completed a 3-0 clean sweep during their last visit in 2016 and would aim to reign supreme again.

Meanwhile, Australia, who have been undergoing a structural reform in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa earlier this year has not been the force to reckon with in the absence of David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft.

After being rested against West Indies for the T20s, skipper Virat Kohli returns to the squad and with a strong side at their disposal, the visitors will hope to start the tour on a bright note. We need to watch how Aaron Finch and his men deal with the pressure as they aim to defy the odds.