Nathan Ellis is relishing the prospect of representing Australia in front of a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of their second T20I with India on Friday. 

The first encounter of their five-match series was cut short due to rain in Canberra, after Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav had started well with the bat for India. 

Ellis (1-25) took the early wicket of Abhishek Sharma (19), but the match was officially called off after a second downpour, leaving the series finely in the balance. 

Australia are unbeaten in their last eight bilateral multigame men's T20I series (W7 D1), their longest unbeaten streak in the format. 

Indeed, they have also won their last four series in the shortest format, which is their joint-longest winning streak (also winning four from February 2019 to February 2020).

Cricket is back on the MCG

Great to see our Australian Indigenous sides take on Melbourne CC on the 'G last week as part of the annual National Indigenous Training Camp with the MCC Foundation! pic.twitter.com/mfKNVqsFCi

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) October 29, 2025

In what proved to be a false start to the series, a crowd of over 90,000 is expected inside the MCG as India return to the city where they have attracted huge support over the years. 

This will also be the first T20I match the MCG has hosted since the final of the last World Cup. 

It also offers a potential auction for next year's T20 World Cup final, though that will be played in the only cricket ground bigger than the MCG – The Narendra Modi Stadium. 

However, the prospect of close to a full house at the MCG is exciting even for the Australia players, none more so than Ellis. 

"It's an experience for the guys who haven't been there and done it," said Ellis, who is yet to play an international at the MCG. 

"I was just talking [to Marcus Stoinis] about the early days [in the BBL] where the Melbourne Derby would get 90-odd thousand.

"And he was saying how exciting it is and how cool it is, running us through his experiences there.

"So really excited to play in front of a huge crowd at the MCG, it's an exciting prospect. A few of us have had that one in the calendar for a little bit."