Aussies end tour with Hyderabad washout

Australia and India have had to settle for a 1-1 drawn T20I series after the deciding match in Hyderabad was abandoned without a ball being bowled. 

Persistent rain in the lead-up meant the odds of a game were always unlikely, though that didn't stop a strong crowd turning out in the hopes of some action. 

Ultimately they headed home disappointed, with the outfield deemed unsafe for play, to the obvious disappointment of India captain Virat Kohli. 

After the toss was initially delayed as the umpires inspected the condition of the outfield, the players went through their warm-up routines in preparation. 

The Indians practice some catching and big hitting, with Kohli at one point hitting a ball high into the outfield, only for it to plug into the turf, half-buried amid the grass. 

"I have never seen that before at a cricket ground," said commentator Harsha Bhogle. 

It took close to 90 minutes of deliberating before the match was finally abandoned, leaving the series deadlocked. 

Australia's players now head home, with the national team's attention to switch gears to Test match cricket as the Ashes awaits in a little over a month. 

Steve Smith's team was hammered 4-1 in the ODI series, while more than half of the matches on the tour have been delayed by rain.

Australia's Qantas Tour of India

Australia squad: David Warner (c), Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel.

T20 Fixtures

October 7: JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi

October 10: Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati

October 13: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad