Brisbane, February 3:

Brett Lee took five wickets (5-27) but it counted for nothing today as Australia’s opening match of the limited overs tri-series against India was abandoned due to rain.

Australia dismissed India for 194 on the final ball of its rain-reduced 45 overs in the opening match, and Australia stumbled to 51-3 chasing a revised 140 from 26 overs. The Australians lost their three wickets for six runs in nine balls and looked vulnerable before rain halted play for good.

India was reeling at 2-26 in the seventh over after Sachin Tendulkar (10) trod on his off-stump while playing back to a fast short ball, joining Virender Sehwag as early casualties. Guatam Gambhir (39) and Rohit Sharma (29) put India back in the game with a freewheeling 65-run stand for the third wicket.

The advantage didn’t last long as Mitchell Johnson (1-33), who had Gambhir edge to slips twice in three balls only for Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting drop chances, trapped Gambhir LBW.

Sharma and Manoj Tiwary went quickly before Ashley Noffke picked up his maiden one-day international wicket in his debut by dismissing Robin Uthappa for five. At that point, India had lost 4-11 from seven overs in a middle-order collapse.

Rain halted play for almost 90 minutes, giving the visitors some respite at 128-6 from 36 overs. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who believed bowling on the “sticky wicket” would be more favourable later in the day-nighter, made 37 and gained good lower-order support after the break from Irfan Pathan (21) and Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan hit 27 off 19 balls, including 15 off the penultimate over by Nathan Bracken.

The next match in the series will be on Tuesday when India meet Sri Lanka here at the Gabba, with Australia and Sri Lanka to clash on Friday in Sydney.