[WATCH] Tilak Varma’s athletic catch dismisses Travis Head during AUS vs IND 2nd T20I

India faced a nightmare with the bat during the second T20I of the five-match series against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after the opening game was washed out due to rain at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. They kept losing wickets regularly inside the power play and could never settle for a decent score on the board in the first innings.

Apart from Abhishek Sharma, who scored 68 runs in 37 balls at a strike rate of 183.78 with the help of eight boundaries and a couple of sixes, and Harshit Rana, who clubbed 35 runs in 33 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 106.06, none of the batters in the line-up crossed the double dight mark. India got bundled out for 125 runs in 18.4 overs.

With the ball, India couldn’t make a good start as their pacers, Rana and Jasprit Bumrah, were off the radar before Varun Chakravarthy came to draw the first blood with the wicket of Travis Head, who smashed 46 runs in 26 balls at a strike rate of 176.92.

Watch: Varun Chakravarthy draws first blood with Travis Head’s wicket in AUS vs IND 2nd T20I

On the third ball of the fifth over, Varun went short and away from Head, who made room and lofted the length delivery over the bowler’s head. He looked to clear the man at the long-off region, but didn’t have the full power on the shot as Varma made the right adjustment to grab the catch and send the batter back for 28 runs.

With two fours and as many sixes, Mitchell Marsh collected 20 runs off the first five balls of Kuldeep Yadav’s opening over before getting dismissed for 46 runs. Varun came back to pocket the wicket of Tim David.

But at 104/3 in 10 overs, with just 22 runs required at the halfway mark, the home side was well and truly in the chase. India needed something miraculous to turn the tables from that position.