India were brutally thrashed by Australia in the second ODI as they suffered a 10-wicket humiliating defeat at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Sunday (March 19). Besides Virat Kohli's 31 off 35, none of the Indian batters crossed the 30-run mark as the entire team bundled out for a paltry 117, thanks to Mitchells Starc's stunning fifer which broke Men in Blue's back. In reply, Mitchell Marsh brought the double whammy for India with a blistering 66 off 36 and helped Australia overhaul the target in mere 11 overs. This was India's biggest defeat in the history of ODIs in terms of balls remaining (234).
Indian batting unit fell like a house of cards which saw seven of the Indian batters getting dismissed for a single digit scores out of which two of the top-order batters recorded ducks. But the batter who has come under scanner apart from KL Rahul, is Suryakumar Yadav. Rahul redeemed himself by playing a match-winning knock in the first ODI, but Suryakumar is yet to make an impact in the ODIs. The Australia series was a perfect opportunity for him with No.4 batter Shreyas Iyer absent with an injury. However, he was dismissed by left-armer Mitchell Starc in similar fashion for the same score in back-to-back matches.
Meanwhile, skipper Rohit Sharma, who returned to second ODI after missing the first tie, gave a big statement on Suryakumar's after the latter's repeated failure in ODIs. Rohit didn't drop any hint on Iyer's return and explained the reason behind playing Suryakumar. He said that there is a spot available in the team and that's why Suryakumar is playing.
“We don't know about Iyer's return. There is a spot available so he is playing. I have said before, guys with potential will be given some run. He knows he needs to do well in slightly longer formats. It is there in his mind. They should not feel that we have not gotten enough chances. With Surya, we have seen he has been dismissed cheaply. He needs consistent games, at least 7-8 on a regular basis to be comfortable. He has come in only when someone was injured. That does not solve the problem. We need to give players a consistent run. If he has not gotten the consistency even after that, we will look into it,” Rohit said in the post match press conference on Sunday.
Suryakumar has overall failed to make an impact in the format. In 20 innings he has scored just 433 runs at 25.47 comprising only two half-centuries, the last of which came more than a year back.
Rohit also touched base on key points pertinent to Team India's ODI fold.
Here are the excerpts…
Top order performance
It has just been 2 games. The top order was on fire in the last 6 ODIs. No concern at all.
Left-arm bowling
When you have a quality bowler in the opposition, he will take wickets. Right-armers have also troubled us. We don't look at too much into right-arm or left-arm. We will look at how we are getting out. We will look at better methods against the seamers. We have struggled a bit at the top. It is just two games. In the last six ODIs, one of the top order was getting runs. I don't think it is the right time.
What went wrong?
Vizag has been a good ground for us. We did not bat well. It was not a 117-run wicket. We did not apply ourselves. We did not have 1-2 good partnerships. It was a failure from the batters. Defending only 118, if you get off to a great start, the pressure remains. That is the bonus the batters get.
Bumrah's absence?
Bumrah has been absent for 8 months now. The team has gotten used to it. It is very hard to fill Bumrah's shoes. We have to move ahead. Guys have taken the responsibility well. Shami, Jaydev, Siraj and Shardul have the potential.
Left-hander in top 5
It is a possibility. Somethings can work, somethings will not. If Jadeja or Axar would have been promoted and not worked, it would have been spoken differently. We try and get the best players to face the situation. It did not work out today. It won't be the same in Chennai. Guys have enough experience.
Seaming conditions?
It is very hard to say what kind of conditions we will get. You have to prepare for it. Conditions are not in our control. I have no idea how we will control the conditions in World Cup. We have to face and play well in any condition. We trust the players with their solid skill sets.
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