It was a dominant display of highest standards by Australia as Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh hand India humiliating defeat in the second ODI of the three-ODI series at Visakhapatnam. After Starc’s fifer bundled out India for 117, their lowest score on Indian soil against Australia, Marsh’s sensational hitting ended the run chase in just 11 overs. This is India’s worst defeat in terms of balls remaining (234)
Power-hitting from openers
In the run chase of 118, Marsh and Travis Head were in a hurry to finish things off. In the fifth over, Marsh broke free and hit Mohammed Shami for a four and two sixes. In the next over, Mohammed Siraj was hit for four consecutive sixes by Travis Head. Rohit introduced his deputy Hardik Pandya but he was hit for three towering sixes as well. With third six of eighth over, Marsh reached his half-century from just 28 deliveries. In the 10th over, Australia completed 100 runs. Head reached his half-century from 29 deliveries in the 11th over. In the same over, Marsh hit a boundary off Axar Patel to seal the win. India were sloppy in the field as well with two dropped catches.
Big win
Australia won the game by 10 wickets with as many as 39 overs to spare. Marsh scored 66 runs from 36 deliveries including six fours and as many sixes. Head scored 51 runs from 30 balls including 10 fours.
India’s previous biggest defeat in terms of balls remaining came against New Zealand in 2019. At Hamilton, New Zealand completed the run chase of 93 with eight wickets in hand and 212 balls to spare.
Starc strikes again
Earlier, Steve Smith won the toss and opted to field first. The decision paid dividends in the first over itself as Starc got Shubman Gill out for a two-ball duck. In his third over, Starc got the wickets off Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav off consecutive deliveries. Suryakumar got out in a similar fashion as first ODI and recorded his second golden duck in the series. KL Rahul could not deal with Starc's in-swinger and fell in the ninth over. Pandya's stay at the crease was short-lived as well. He edged one off Sean Abott and Smith took a stunning one-handed catch leaping in the air.
No big partnership
India were reduced to 49/5 in the 10th over. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja tried to stabilise the innings but the former became Nathan Ellis' first victim of the day. Kohli had played a few good shots but was beaten by Ellis' in-swinger and got out lbw. He scored 31 off 35 deliveries. Ellis then came round the wicket and forced an outside edge off Jadeja's bat which landed in Alex Carey's gloves.
Axar runs out of partners
Axar tried to bat with the tail and extend the score by Sean Abbott got rid of Kuldeep Yadav and Shami. Smith then introduced Starc who got hit for a couple of sixes by Axar. But Starc completed his fifer with the wicket of Siraj as India got all out for 117 with 24 overs left in the innings. Axar remained stranded on the other end with a run-a-ball 29.
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