Australia outplayed India with all facets of the game as they upstaged India at the MCG by 4 wickets with 40 balls to spare. Australia outplayed India from the word go. They put India into bat first and bowled them out for 125 with Josh Hazlewood picking up 3/13 in 4 overs Abhishek Sharma’s 68-run knock was a one-man show.
In reply, Australia through Mitchell Marsh’s 46 off 26 balls and Travis Head 28 got a great start and got over the line in 13.2 overs with others contributing as well. Varun was the pick for India with 2 wickets while Kuldeep and Jasprit picked up 2 wickets as well, but the total was way below par for the Indian team to defend the score.
Josh Hazlewood’s Incisive Spell Derails India to keep them down to 125 in 18.4 overs.Â
Put into bat first, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma came out to bat for India while Josh Hazlewood had ball in hand for Australia. Gill was pinged on the pads and was given OUT. The batter reviewed and extra bounce saved Gill as the umpire changed his decision. Gill was hit on the helmet and had a mandatory concussion check. Hazlewood bowled a miserly first over. Xavier Bartlett had ball in hand from the other end. Abhishek showed his intentions clear as he charged down the track and thumped it over extra cover for a boundary.
Abhishek then hit Bartlett by dancing down the track and tonked it over long-off for the maximum. Hazlewood then dismissed Gill and struck for Australia as the Indian vice-captain fell for 5 off 10 balls. Josh pitched it up around the fourth stump line. Gill leaned forward and looked to loft it over top of mid-off. He mistimed it from the toe end of his blade and failed to clear Marsh at mid-off who took a good catch. Sanju Samson came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace.
Nathan Ellis came onto the attack now. He dismissed Samson for 2 off 4 balls. Nathan bowled a good length delivery around the fourth stump line that pitched and jagged back in sharply. Samson was caught on the crease and looked to punch it straight without any footwork. He was late to the stroke and got beaten on the inside edge and was trapped on the back pad. Looked OUT. Samson reviewed in hope and three reds meant the review was lost. Captain Suryakumar Yadav came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Abhishek attacked Ellis by ramping over short third man for a boundary and then slammed it over extra cover for a boundary. Hazlewood continued and he got rid of Suryakumar Yadav for 1 off 4 balls. Hazlewood bowled a hard length delivery angled into the off-stump line. SKY was rooted to the crease and was squared up a bit as well. He felt for the ball and the ball jagged away ever so little off the surface as he got the outside edge to the keeper. Tilak Varma came out to bat next and got out for a silver duck to Hazlewood.
Hazlewood bowled a good length delivery around off-stump angling across the batter. Tilak got low and looked to swipe it away behind square on the leg side. He lost his shape and got a top edge which went straight up in the air. Inglis called for it and moved towards the short fine leg region to take the catch. Axar Patel came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway. Ellis continued as Abhishek gave himself room and opened the bat face to carve it away over backward point for a boundary. India were 40/4 in 6 overs at the end of the powerplay.
Hazlewood continued after the powerplay as Abhishek got a lucky boundary with an outside edge down to the third man fence beating the diving keeper. Hazlewood finished his impressive spell. Bartlett returned to the attack. He dropped a tough chance as Axar got a lifeline. Soon, Axar got run out for 7 off 12 balls trying to take the third run as he slipped as India lost half their side now. Harshit Rana came out to bat next and got off the mark soon as India’s 50 came up in 8 overs.
Marcus Stoinis came into the attack next. He bowled a decent over. Mitchell Owen came to bowl the next over and was welcomed by Abhishek for a boundary as he sliced him over backward point. Abhishek then stood tall and helped it away over top of short fine leg for a boundary as India were 69/5 at the halfway stage of the innings. Matthew Kuhnemann came into the attack next. Rana broke the shackles as he rocked back to the short and wide ball outside off to get the gap and away to the fence.
Stoinis continued as Rana hopped back and rode the bounce to whip it away to long leg for a boundary. Kuhnemann continued as Abhishek reached his 6th ODI fifty in 23 balls as it has been a lone hand from the southpaw. Rana then rocked back and freed his arms to cut it past diving backward point for a boundary. Ellis returned to the attack and bowled a tidy over. Stoinis returned to the attack as Rana took him on and cleared his front leg to smash it over cow corner for the maximum. The 100 came up for India in 14.5 overs. After 15 overs, India were 105/5.
Xavier Bartlett came back into the attack. He removed Rana for 35 off 33 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name. Bartlett bowled a back of the hand slower ball into the pitch outside the off-stump. Rana was clearly backing away and had to reach for it. He swung for all money looking to go for a big hack across the line. He was early into the stroke and dragged it off the toe end straight to David at long-on. Shivam Dube came out to bat next.
Dube got off the mark with a streaky boundary down to third man with an edge past the slip cordon. Bartlett removed Dube for 4 off 2 balls with a boundary to his name. Bartlett bowled a short of a length delivery on the middle stump line. This one too moved a tad away from the left-hander with some bounce. Dube was hanging back and awkwardly poking at it again. He got the outside edge that went to the left of the keeper where Inglis took a good catch. Kuldeep Yadav came out to bat next.
Stoinis continued and removed Kuldeep for a duck. Stoinis bowled a slower short ball wide outside the off-stump. Kuldeep jumped back to play across the line and went for a flat batted pull and ended up managing only the toe end of the bat. The ball went straight to the short midwicket fielder. Varun Chakaravarthy came out to bat next. Abhishek took the attack to Bartlett by first hitting him over extra cover for a boundary and then launched it by pulling it over fine leg for the maximum. 15 runs came off this over.
Ellis returned to the attack and removed Abhishek for 68 off 37 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Nathan bowled a yorker on the leg stump. Abhishek was shuffling across deep in the crease and failed to get his bat down in time. The ball dipped under the bat and went onto thud the left boot. Abhishek reviewed in hope and saw three reds as India lost the reviews. Jasprit Bumrah came out next and was run out for a golden duck with miscommunication out in the middle. Varun remained unbeaten on 0 off 1 ball as India were bowled out for 125 in 18.4 overs. Just 3 extras given by Australia.
Josh Hazlewood was the star for Australia as he finished with 3/13 in 4 overs. Nathan Ellis finished with 2/21 in 3.4 overs. Xavier Bartlett finished with 2/39 in 4 overs. Marcus Stoinis finished with 1/24 in 4 overs. Matthew Kuhnemann bowled 2 overs for 14 runs while Mitchell Owen’s only over went for 13 runs. This meant Australia needed a mere 126 runs to win off 20 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series.
Mitchell Marsh’s 46 off 26 balls guides Australia to a 4-wicket win.Â
Chasing 126 for the win, captain Mitchell Marsh came out to bat alongside Travis Head while Jasprit Bumrah had ball in hand for India. Bumrah started with a decent over. Harshit Rana had ball in hand from the other end. Head got himself going as he slashed hard at the width offered and got a thick outside edge over the slips for a boundary. Marsh completed 2000 runs in T20Is. Bumrah continued as Head flicked him over wide mid-on for a boundary.
Head got a triple and then Bumrah conceded 4 byes to the batting side. Bumrah conceded 5 wides as a bonus again as he lost his radar there. Rana continued as Head got the ball in the slot and whipped it away over square leg for the maximum. Head again hit Rana through a thick outside edge to the third man fence as Rana overstepped again. Free Hit yielded a single. Marsh then clobbered Rana over backward square leg for a massive maximum. 20 runs came off the over.
Varun Chakaravarthy came into the attack as the 50 came up for Australia and of the partnership in 4.1 overs. Varun gave India some respite as he removed Head for 28 off 15 balls with 3 fours and one maximum to his name. Varun bowled a good length delivery on the stumps, Head made room and swung through the line and hit it up and over the head of the bowler. It was nearly going all the way to long-off but Tilak did well to move quickly to his left and took the catch really well. Josh Inglis came out to bat next.
Bumrah changed ends and bowled a decent over as Australia were 56/1 in 6 overs at the end of the powerplay. Varun continued as Marsh was unstoppable by getting underneath it and powered it off the front foot and went straight over the ropes. Kuldeep Yadav came into the attack next and was welcomed by Marsh for a boundary with a pull shot over midwicket region. Then Marsh rocked back deep in his crease and pulled it over midwicket for the maximum. Marsh then smashed Kuldeep and pulled it to deep midwicket for a boundary. Marsh got forward to the pitch of the ball and launched it straight down the ground for the maximum.
Kuldeep removed Marsh for 46 off 26 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Kuldeep tossed it up googly outside the off-stump as Marsh looked to go big again as he sat down on one knee and went for a huge strike downtown. He was early to the stroke and sliced it to the bottom of the bat and the ball went to mid-off as Abhishek ran into take the catch. Tim David came out to bat next.
Varun continued and removed Tim David for 1 off 2 balls. He bowled a googly on a length around the middle stump line. David defended and played it with hard hands. He chipped it from the splice of the blade as Varun grabbed a dolly on his follow through. Mitchell Owen came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway. Kuldeep continued as Inglis connected the reverse sweep past backward point for a boundary. The 100 came up for Australia in 9.4 overs. Inglis got a triple. Owen got a life as Harshit Rana dropped the catch at deep midwicket off Kuldeep’s bowling. Australia were 104/3 in 10 overs and in cruise control of the contest.
Varun continued as the LBW appeal against Owen was turned down and the review was lost as well. Varun kept things tight as well. Kuldeep then removed Inglis for 20 off 20 balls with a boundary to his name thanks to good usage of DRS. Kuldeep bowled flipper on a length around the leg and pitched and skidded through the surface. Inglis was caught on his crease and he hung back and looked to work it away on the onside. He got beaten on the inside edge and wore it on the back pad. The umpire said no. Three Reds showed and the decision was overturned to OUT. Marcus Stoinis came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace.
Owen then launched Kuldeep by going down on one knee and slog swept it over deep midwicket for the maximum. Bumrah then returned and struck late as he removed Owen for 14 off 10 balls with one six to his name. Bumrah bowled a slower ball on a length around the fourth stump. Owen swung his bat across the line and got deceived by the slower ball. He got beaten on the outside edge. The ball carried to Samson. The TV umpire has been referred and there was a spike on the edge as the 5th wicket fell then. Matthew Short came out to bat next and went first ball for a golden duck to Bumrah.
Bumrah bowled full and straight around the middle and leg stump. Short cleared his front boot and looked to dig it straight. He failed to get his bat down in time. The ball ended up shattering the stumps. Xavier Bartlett came out to bat next and survived the hat-trick ball. Kuldeep continued as Stoinis hit the winning runs through a couple of runs to cover point region. Stoinis was unbeaten on 6 off 6 balls and Bartlett remained unbeaten on 0 off 1 ball. 11 extras given by India. Australia got over the line by 4 wickets with 40 balls to spare.
Varun Chakaravarthy was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/23 in 4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with 2/26 in 4 overs. Kuldeep Yadav finished with 2/45 in 3.2 overs. Harshit Rana’s 2 overs went for 27 runs. So, Australia win by 4 wickets and Josh Hazlewood was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead.Â
Australia are up 1-0 after 2 matches after the first match was washed out in Canberra. The bandwagon moves to Hobart now on Sunday 2nd November 2025 where the 3rd T20I will be played at 1.45 PM IST. It’s all to play for and it will be interesting to see whether India bounces back or whether Australia make it 2-0? All to play for now.
Also Read: AUS vs IND: Josh Hazlewood’s Deadly Spell Floors India.