Australia got the better of India by two wickets in the second ODI at Adelaide to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with a match to spare. With this Australia also ended India's 17-year-long unbeaten streak at Adelaide in ODIs.
Australia seal series with 2-wicket win over India in 2nd ODI
Adam Zampa's four-fer, Cooper Connolly's 61 and Matthew Short's 74 helped Australia chase down the 265-run target with 22 balls to spare. Meanwhile, the third and final ODI will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25.
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Connolly-Short's fifties guide Australia home
Chasing what appeared to be an under-par target of 265, Australia struggled to get the rapid start they are typically known for. The new ball moved considerably under the floodlights, forcing openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh to play defensively; both eventually fell without contributing much. When the score reached 54 for 2, India felt confident about breaking further into the lineup, but D'Arcy Short and Matt Renshaw stabilized the innings.
The pair put together a 55-run partnership for the third wicket to halt India's momentum. However, India quickly fought back with a double strike, turning a comfortable 109/2 into a slightly shaky 132/4. Despite this, Sam Connolly showed exceptional composure, virtually acing the chase by stitching together two critical half-century stands. First, a 55-run partnership with Short brought Australia close to the target, followed by a decisive 59-run stand with Mitchell Owen that essentially shut the door on India's hopes.
Although Owen and Xavier Bartlett fell later while attempting aggressive shots, the outcome was never truly in doubt. Connolly remained firm and guided his side across the finish line with Adam Zampa for company.
Zampa fires, Kohli flops
Earlier, Rohit Sharma anchored India's innings in the second ODI against Australia, scoring a crucial and potentially career-extending 73 off 97 balls on a challenging pitch. His knock was a balanced display of determined grit and elegant stroke-play, forming the foundation of India's decent total of 264 for 9. This score became a fighting possibility after the team had lost key players, skipper Shubman Gill (9) and Virat Kohli (0), in quick succession.
Rohit's innings was buttressed by a vital 118-run partnership for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer, who contributed a steady 61 off 77 balls. As the innings drew to a close, Axar Patel (44 off 41 balls) played a brilliant cameo, reminiscent of Ravindra Jadeja's impactful role for the Test team. His aggressive batting, along with a crucial 39-run stand with a gutsy Washington Sundar (12), ensured the bowlers had a competitive total to defend. The final flourish came from the ninth-wicket pair of Harshit Rana (24 not out) and Arshdeep Singh (13), who added 37 runs off 29 balls to propel the score past the 260-run mark.
For Australia, the bowling attack was spearheaded by Adam Zampa, who returned after attending the birth of his second child to claim figures of 4 for 60. Most of his wickets came from batters attempting to attack him aggressively. Young pacer Xavier Bartlett (3/39 in 10 overs) also delivered a standout performance, bagging the prized wicket of Kohli and bowling a tight maiden over.