How India won the rain-marred second ODI against Australia to seal series – Times of India
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With the commanding victory, India also took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series.
While Gill (104 off 97 balls) showed his insatiable hunger for runs with fifth ton of the year, Iyer (105 off 90 balls) also hit a timely ton under pressure to set up the series sealing win.
The Gill and Iyer duo shared a stroke-filled 200-run partnership off 164 balls before Suryakumar Yadav (72 not out off 37 balls) unleashed carnage to fire India to 399 for five — the hosts’ highest total against Australia in ODIs.
Chasing an improbable total, Australia were 56 for two in nine overs when rain stopped play for over an hour. With the revised target of 317 in 33 overs, the Aussies fell further behind in the game and ended with 217 all out in 28.2 overs.
Here’s a look at the key moments of the India vs Australia second ODI.
Early Ruturaj blow and rain break
As Australia won the toss and opted to bowl, openers Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad got off to a steady start. Ruturaj began the match with a couple of boundaries in the very first Spencer Johnson over but after that both looked a bit more cautious against the Aussie pacers and the new balls. However, India suffered the Ruturaj blow in the fourth over when Josh Hazlewood forced the India opener to edge one straight to Alex Carey behind the stumps for 8. Coming in at no.3, Iyer and Gill then joined hands and looked to take advantage of the powerplay. Iyer, who got run out in the last match, in particular looked aggressive from the word go and took on the Aussie bowlers. As Iyer raced to 34 off just 20 balls with a flurry of boundaries, Gill too followed him after getting his eyes in and took on the bowlers. Amid the flowing boundaries, India raced to 79 for 1 in 9.5 overs when the heavens opened up. The rain then halted the proceedings for 40 minutes.
Gill, Iyer show
As the rain stopped and play resumed, Gill and Iyer looked untroubled by the break. Both picked up from where they left and took on the Australian bowlers. Leggie Adam Zampa did manage to hold Gill and Iyer for a bit from one end but both were severe against the pacers. From Cameron Green to Johnson to Matthew Short, all the bowlers bled runs as both the batters dealt in boundaries. Taking the bowlers to all corners of the park, Iyer and Gill went all guns blazing and fired sizzling half-centuries. At just the 20th over mark, India’s scorecard read 158 for 1 as the duo kept on attacking the bowlers relentlessly. Skipper Steve Smith tried every trick in the book but nothing went Australia’s way. With runs flowing freely both Iyer and Gill simultaneously neared their respective tons. Both did slow down a bit in their 90s but then Iyer pipped Gill for his 3rd ODI ton, which came off just 86 balls in the 30th over. Amid all the hitting and running, Iyer had started to develop cramps and knowing that he won’t be able to carry on for long, decided to swing at everything. He however didn’t last long after his ton and eventually fell for 105 to Sean Abbott in the 31st over as a mammoth 200-run stand between the two came to an end. Soon after Iyer’s dismissal, Gill brought up his 6th ODI hundred — and his 5th of the year in ODIs — off 92 balls. But shortly after his ton, Gill too, like Iyer, fell for 104. As India lost the two set batters in quick succession, the onus was now on KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan to maintain the run flow.
Surya mayhem
With centurions Iyer and Gill back in the pavilion in no time, it looked like Australia had a chance to make a comeback and restrict the damage. But Rahul and Ishan Kishan ensured they didn’t allow the Aussies to get back into the game. Both shared a brisk 33-ball 59 stand as runs continued to flow thick and fast. Trying to take on Zampa, Ishan fell for 31 in the 40th over and then Rahul was joined by Suryakumar Yadav. Both then launched another round of attack, pushing the Australians further into a corner. Rahul and Surya shared a quick 34-ball 53 stand and in the process the India skipper got to his 15th ODI half-century. With the final overs at play, as Rahul and Surya looked to hit everything to the fence, the former missed a Cameron Green delivery and was knocked over for 52 in the 46th over. But by the time Rahul departed, Surya had his eyes set in and he then went completely berserk. Apart from hitting Cameron Green for four back-to-back sixes, Surya spared no one displaying exceptional stroke play in the death overs. As Surya produced an amazing knock, he delighted the fans at the Holkar Stadium, and raced to his fifty off just 24 balls. In the final flourish, Surya along with Ravindra Jadeja (13 not out) added another 44 runs off the last 4 overs as India achieved their highest ever total against Australia in ODIs — 399 for 5. With a knock laced with 6 fours and equal number of sixes, Surya finished on an unbeaten 37-ball 72.
Early blows and another rain interruption
Chasing an improbable total, Australia got off to a horrendous start, losing Short and Smith (0) in the second over itself. Prasidh Krishna rocked the Aussies early in the chase as he dismissed Short and Smith off successive deliveries. Under the pressure of big chase, Short first chased a wide away-swinger from Prasidh and got caught for 8 by Ashwin. Smith then got a terrific away-swinger first-up as he edged the ball straight to Shubman Gill at first slip for a golden duck. After two quick blows, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne then joined hands and started the repair work. Warner, unbothered by the fall of wickets, dealt in boundaries as runs kept coming for Australia. But the rain once again caused an interruption at the 9th over mark of the chase. With the heavens opening up at around 7:22 pm IST, the match was eventually resumed at 8:35 pm IST. A delay of over an hour meant that the Australians were now chasing a revised target of 317 in 33 overs.
The implosion
After the rain break, as Australia resumed the chase, Warner and Labuschagne went straightaway after the India bowlers. Raising a quick fifty stand, they took Australia to 63 for 2 at the end of first powerplay. But as Warner was once again picking up the pace, Labuschagne got a beauty from R Ashwin and got knocked over for 27 in the 13th over. With the fall of Labuschagne, a dangerous-looking 68-ball 80 stand came to an end. Ashwin then, in his very next over, got two wickets and swung the game decisively in India’s favour. The veteran India spinner first trapped Warner in front for 53 and then three balls later removed Josh Inglis for 6 to put Australia on the mat. Ravindra Jadeja then joined the party and cleaned up Alex Carey for 14 as Australia imploded in the chase. A Cameron Green run out was then followed by Jadeja knocking over Adam Zampa as Australia found themselves tottering at 140 for 8 in the 21st over. With nothing to lose, all-rounder Sean Abbott and Josh Hazlewood had a good time in the middle, as they smashed India bowlers left, right and centre during their entertaining 77-run partnership. In the process Abbott also got to his maiden ODI fifty off just 29 balls. With too many runs to chase, Abbott and Hazlewood’s stand was never a worry for India but they did frustrate the bowlers, hitting them to all corners of the park. Abbott, in particular, attacked the India bowlers ruthlessly, smoking 4 fours and 5 sixes. The partnership was eventually broken by Shami as he cleaned up Hazlewood for 23. Jadeja then wrapped up the proceedings, cleaning up Abbott for 54. With the win India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series.
