Rain ruined India’s opening T20I against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday, but not before Suryakumar Yadav showed glimpses of his return to form with an eye-catching display of attacking batsmanship.

The T20I captain had added 62 off 35 balls in an unbroken stand with Shubman Gill as India reached 97/1 in the 10th over when rain played spoilsport.

Surya was at his explosive best as he hammered 39 not out off 24 balls. He started off with his typical flick to smash the first six of the innings.

Abhishek Sharma departed early but not before he found the boundary thrice in the opening two overs. After Gill nailed the slog sweep against Matthew Kuhnemann, Surya tore Nathan Ellis apart with successive boundaries before following it up with a massive six.

Surya’s return to form will be good news for the Indian think-tank ahead of the World Cup in February-March next year. He has already lost the No. 1 ranking to Abhishek and questions have been raised about his effectiveness in the side.

It’s not that he has looked tentative and out of touch, but has found some unlucky ways to be dismissed in recent times. No specific stroke or bowling has troubled him and he has remained his effusive and jubilant self.

He has also enjoyed the confidence of head coach Gautam Gambhir and the pace and bounce in the wicket at the Manuka Oval helped him get back into the groove on Wednesday.

The second game of the series is in Melbourne on Friday.

Brief scores: India 97/1 in 9.4 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 39 not out, Shubman Gill 37 not out) vs Australia. Match abandoned due to rain.