NEW DELHI: Formidable India will head to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground for the second T20I against Australia on Friday with their confidence sky-high, buoyed by an exciting crop of young talent and the timely return to form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav.

The explosive trio of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Shivam Dube have already showcased their fearless brand of power-hitting on Australian soil, but the skipper's lean patch had been a lingering concern.

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That changed in the series opener, where Suryakumar silenced critics with a fluent 24-ball 39, highlighted by a towering six off Josh Hazlewood that epitomized his trademark flair.

Unfortunately, persistent rain in Canberra forced the abandonment of the first T20I, with India cruising at 97 for one in 9.4 overs and both Suryakumar and Shubman Gill looking set for something special.

With rain again on the radar in Melbourne, the visitors will hope the weather stays kind as they aim to carry forward the momentum from their dominant - albeit unfinished - start to the series.

Heading into the second match, what would have pleased Indian fans the most was Suryakumar Yadav’s return to form, as the team continues its World Cup preparations under head coach Gautam Gambhir's bold, high-risk, high-reward philosophy.

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Gambhir wants his team to regularly go for totals in excess of 250, 260, and even if they end up getting bowled out for 120-130 in trying to do that and lose a few matches in the process, he wouldn't mind.

Their explosive batting in recent months is a clear indication that the batters have embraced Gambhir's philosophy, months before the T20 World Cup gets underway in India and Sri Lanka, where the 'Men in Blue' will look to defend the title they won in the Americas last summer.

India didn't get to bowl in Canberra but as far as that department is concerned, they boast of Jasprit Bumrah's class and Varun Chakravarthy's guile, with the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel forming a potent attack that can also defend a small total should the batters fail to fire.

They will, nevertheless, have their task cut out against big hitters Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, who have troubled India in the past.

Australia's T20 template is pretty similar to the one adopted by the Indian team with focus primarily on playing attacking cricket irrespective of the match situation. In men like Head, Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Josh Iglis, they have the personnel to put up big totals or pull off tricky chases.

With pace ace Micthell Starc retiring from T20Is and Pat Cummins recovering from an injury, the bowling looks a bit thin on experience and onus is on Hazlewood to lead the attack that comprises Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Nathan Ellis among others.

Teams (from):

India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott (games 1-3), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (games 3-5), Tim David, , Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (games 1-2), Glenn Maxwell (games 3-5), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis.

Match Starts at 1:45 pm.

(With PTI Inputs)