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Australia downed India by four wickets in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series. After Josh Hazlewood's fiery three-fer bundled out India for a paltry 125, Australia wrapped up the chase with four wickets and 40 balls to spare.
Australia beat India by 4 wickets in 2nd T20I
The Australian chase began aggressively, spearheaded by captain Mitchell Marsh, who decisively took the game away from India. Marsh delivered a destructive 26-ball 46, an innings peppered with 2 fours and 4 massive sixes, as the Indian bowlers struggled to contain his powerful strokeplay. Although Kuldeep Yadav eventually managed to dismiss him, the breakthrough came too late to shift the momentum. Marsh's opening partner, Travis Head, also contributed with a quickfire 28 off just 15 balls before being claimed by Varun Chakaravarthy.
Chakaravarthy provided a momentary flicker of hope for the visitors by striking again in the ninth over, sending back the dangerous power-hitter Tim David for a single run. However, this only served to delay the inevitable. Mitchell Owen and Josh Inglis ensured the chase remained firmly on track, scoring 14 and 20 runs respectively to guide the hosts toward a 1-0 series lead. While Jasprit Bumrah did manage to take two late wickets with only two runs required, the low target proved impossible to defend. Despite the late hiccups, Australia cruised to victory, sealing a comfortable win that was their second biggest ever in T20Is in terms of balls to spare (40).
Meanwhile, the series decider will be played on November 2 at the Ninja stadium in Hobart.
Abhishek's storm dampened by Hazlewood's fury
Earlier, Abhishek's superb innings of 68 runs off just 37 balls stood out as the sole positive during an otherwise disappointing batting performance by the Indian team. The visitors ultimately crumbled and were bowled out for a low total of 125 runs in 18.4 overs. India's innings was immediately destabilised by a top-order collapse orchestrated by the outstanding bowling of Josh Hazlewood. Extracting crucial seam movement and bounce while maintaining a consistently probing length, Hazlewood recorded sensational figures of 3 wickets for 13 runs, leaving the Indian side reeling during the powerplay. The visitors' momentum was further halted after a burst of intent from Abhishek, who had started well by flicking and lofting Xavier Bartlett for a four and a six. However, Hazlewood soon claimed the key wicket of Shubman Gill, who miscued a loft to mid-off, while Sanju Samson's brief stay was ended when Nathan Ellis trapped him LBW with a delivery that seamed back in.
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Amidst this turmoil, Abhishek mounted a resilient counterattack, beautifully blending power with precision placement to find the gaps with ease. His aggressive knock was highlighted by eight fours and two towering sixes. He also found valuable, albeit temporary, support from Harshit Rana, who was promoted to number seven and made the most of the opportunity by scoring 35 runs off 33 balls in a crucial 56-run partnership with Sharma.
The difficult pitch conditions and lethal Australian bowling continued to trouble the Indian line-up. With the wicket offering significant movement, India's middle-order struggled to settle, compounding the early collapse. Suryakumar Yadav edged a delivery from Hazlewood behind, and moments later, Tilak Varma fell victim to Hazlewood as well, miscued a flick straight to deep square leg. This devastating period saw India lose four wickets within the powerplay. Further adding to the mounting pressure, a costly mix-up led to Axar Patel's run-out. It was amidst this disarray that Harshit Rana and Abhishek Sharma managed to restore some rhythm to the innings, striking a couple of much-needed boundaries each.
Abhishek continued to showcase his exceptional form and flair, quickly reaching his half-century off just 23 balls. His crucial partnership with Rana, which had momentarily kept India's hopes alive, was broken when Rana was caught by Tim David off the bowling of Xavier Bartlett. Following this key dismissal, India's innings rapidly disintegrated. Shivam Dube nicked the ball behind off Bartlett, and Kuldeep Yadav soon holed out to mid-on against Marcus Stoinis. Abhishek's brilliant counter-attacking effort finally came to an end when he was trapped leg before wicket by Nathan Ellis. The Indian innings was wrapped up swiftly after Jasprit Bumrah was run out, highlighting the lack of resistance from the rest of the batting order, as players other than Abhishek and Rana contributed a combined total of only 19 runs.
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