Abhishek Shines Among The Ruins At MCG

Abhishek Sharma sizzled with a blistering half-century in an otherwise disappointing batting performance by India in the second T20 International against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Friday.

Abhishek waged a lone battle with an entertaining 68 from 37 balls, which included two sixes and two fours, but India's batting line-up came undone against Josh Hazlewood. The Australian pacer sent India crashing for 125 as he claimed excellent figures of 3/13, including 15 dot balls.

Except for Abhishek and Harshit Rana (35), the other nine Indian batters all perished for single digit scores as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with the opening game abandoned due to rain.

World No. 1 T20 batter Abhishek continued his amazing run with the bat in 2025. This year, he has amassed 612 runs in 13 innings at an incredible strike rate of 205.37, averaging 47.08, with one century and four fifties. The left-hander is going through a purple patch, with four fifties in his last six innings in T20 Internationals.

Amazingly, this was the first time that Shivam Dube finished on the losing side in a T20 International. Before this game, all-rounder Dube had enjoyed a world record 37-match winning run with Team India in T20 Internationals, starting with his debut in 2019 -- the longest winning streak for any player in T20Is.

Two-time World champions India have been the all-conquering team in the T20 format -- having not lost a single T20 International series in the last two years.

<pHowever, their winning run looks in serious danger of coming to an end.

India's amazing record includes victory in eight of the last nine series played, with only the three-match series in South Africa in December 2023 finishing in a 1-1 draw after the opening game was abandoned due to rain.

Unless Captain Suryakumar Yadav can turn around his batting form, he looks on course to suffer his first defeat as India captain in T20 Internationals.

India have been among the world's top teams across formats, but their record in T20 cricket has been near invincible in the last few years.

Since July 2021, when they lost 2-1 in a three-match series in Sri Lanka, India have gone on to win 19 out of 22 series played, with just one series defeat while two finished in draws.

India vs Australia Head to Head in T20 Internationals

Overall, the two teams have played 11 bilateral T20I series, with India winning six while Australia have managed just two series wins and three have finished in 1-1 draws.

India have registered a hat-trick of series triumphs against Australia in the last three series, with their last defeat coming six years ago in 2019.

India vs Australia T20I Series Records

While India have lost just one of the last 10 series played in T20 Internationals, Australia also boast of a similar superior record with one just defeat in their last 10 T20I series.

Their last defeat in a T20I series came at India's heads in an away series in November-December 2023.

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Individual Records

Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter for India against Australia in T20Is, with 794 runs in 23 matches at an impressive strike of 142, with eight fifties.

Suryakumar Yadav boasts of an superb strike rate of 172.61 against Australia, smashing 290 runs in nine games.

Interestingly, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the only batter to have scored a century against Australia in T20s.

India's Top 5 Run-Getters vs Australia in T20Is

Jasprit Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker for India against Australia with 19 wickets in 16, while Axar Patel also enjoys a good record against the Aussies with 15 wickets from 11 matches at an economy rate of 6.30.

India's Top 5 Wicket-Takers vs Australia in T20Is