Glenn Maxwell in horror moment as Aussies lose second T20 to India

Glenn Maxwell was dismissed for an ugly golden duck as Australia lost the second T20 against India in a rain-shortened match in Nagpur.

Captain Rohit Sharma starred as India levelled the three-match series against Australia with a six-wicket victory on Saturday morning.

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The match was reduced to just eight overs a side following a two-and-a-half-hour delay caused by a wet outfield.

Wicket-keeper Matthew Wade (43 not out off 20 balls) and captain Aaron Finch (31 off 15) scored freely as Australia made 5-90 after being sent in to bat.

Wade followed up his match-winning unbeaten 45 in the series opener with another boundary-laden innings, highlighted by three sixes off Harshal Patel in the final over.

Finch notched 24 of his team's first 31 runs, including an audacious scoop over the wicket-keeper's head in the first over and a straight six off Yuzvendra Chahal in the third.

However his decisions to move Maxwell (0 off 1) and Tim David (2 off 3) up the order didn't pay off, as both were bowled by the impressive Patel.

Patel dismissed Maxwell first ball after the Aussie took a swipe at a straight ball and saw his middle stump cleaned up.

Patel (2-13 off two overs) also bowled David and the stumps were again rattled when Finch had his leg peg uprooted by the recalled Jasprit Bumrah.

"I think it's important that you're always looking at ways to improve and obviously we went with Maxwell at three and Tim David at four, so we were trying to be a bit more aggressive up front," Finch said.

"We haven't played too many shortened games so I think especially leading into a World Cup we've put some thought into it over some time."

India level T20 series with victory in second match

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa (3-16 off 2) briefly gave Australia some hope after India's openers raced to 39 inside three overs.

He bowled both KL Rahul and Virat Kohl and trapped Suryakumar Yadav lbw, the last two falling to successive deliveries.

But Sharma (46 not off 20) took consecutive boundaries off Sean Abbott in the next over and though Pat Cummins had Hardik Pandya caught, India would not be denied.

They needed nine to win off the last over and Dinesh Karthik sent the crowd into a frenzy with a slog sweep over deep backward square leg off the first delivery bowled by Daniel Sams.

He sealed the win with another leg-side boundary the following ball.

"There was just a little bit of execution with bat and ball I think at times that probably just swung the momentum of the game," Finch said.

"I thought obviously the way that Rohit played was pretty special and also (spinner) Axar (Patel 2-12 off 2) the way he bowled, he was outstanding.

"The outfield was very very wet down in some pockets of the ground and the groundstaff did an amazing job to get it to a condition that we could play."

The final match of the series will be played in Hyderabad starting late on Sunday evening (AEST).

with AAP

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