Australia achieved a thrilling victory in the second ODI against India at Adelaide Oval, chasing down a target of 265 with just two wickets to spare. This win gives Australia a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. After the defeat in Perth, India entered the second ODI with an intent to bat deep, building partnerships and proving that their player at the top order could handle Australia’s pace and bounce.
Australia strikes early
The first innings began with Australia winning the toss and opting to bowl first. Although the grey skies kept the Australian bowlers disciplined. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood delivered calculated swings to keep Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from scoring runs. Kohli, tried to break free but perished for a duck with his second consecutive failure in the series, leaving the fans disappointed. Shubman Gill followed soon after, leaving India at 29/2 in 9 overs, which again became a sight of familiar collapse.
Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer’s Partnership
Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer’s partnership made a comeback for India in the game. The pair played a patient innings and scored a 114 run, mixing aggression along with smart rotation. Rohit Sharma delivered his trademark pull shot twice over the midwicket and scored 73 off 97 balls, a much-needed innings in such testing conditions. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer complemented Rohit Sharma perfectly with fluent drives through cover, reaching his half-century in just 67 balls before falling out to Adam Zampa’s sharp turner for 61. India desperately needed their partnership.
Axar Patel’s outstanding knock
After Rohit Sharma & Shreyas Iyer lost their wickets in quick succession, India was losing its momentum. Axar Patel walking in at 160-4, played a remarkable knock and provided a timely counterattack against Australia’s pace and spin, delivering 5 fours scoring 44 off 41 balls.
Axar Patel’s knock bought back India’s momentum heading into the final overs. KL Rahul scored 11 runs off 15 balls, also a few lower order runs came from Kuldeep Yadav and Bumrah who took India to a competitive 264/9 by the end of 50 overs.
Adam Zampa: The Game Breaker
For Australia, Adam Zampa once again proved to be a worthy bowler. He took 4 important wickets which reflected both his control and courage in the match. Zampa dared the Indian batters to take risks, while tossing the ball up, and achieving the target.
Mitchell Starc (2/47) and Josh Hazlewood (1/39) too with their spell provided excellent support specially with the new ball. Xavier Bartlett took 3 wickets for 39 runs in his 10 over spell as the opening spell of his did the damage as he got rid of Shubman Gill & Virat Kohli for yet another golden duck
Matt Short and Cooper Connolly’s crucial partnership
Australia, chasing 265 to win, started with a shaky start as Arshdeep Singh dismissed Mitchel Marsh for 11, despite his red head form. Arshdeep delivered good line and length, a skillful bowler taking an important wicket. Harshit Rana, took another massive blow for Australia by dismissing Travis Head for 28.
Matt Short and Cooper Connolly’s partnership was the real turning point of the match for Australia. Australia was in a precarios position at 132-4 in 27 overs when the dependable Alex Carey was sent back to the dugout cheaply on 9 runs in 17 balls. Australia’s fragile middle order was exposed with Matthew Short’s score being 51 run in 51 balls but he needed support to chase down another 133 runs in 23 overs.
The 55-runs partnership in 54 balls between Short and Connolly built a momentum, the pair played solid defense along with calculated aggression. Short played smartly, he hit every bad ball that came his way and kept rotating the strike. Meanwhile, Connolly with his stylish drives and perfect timing, helped Australia reach closer to the target while maintain the remaining wickets in hand.
India’s bowlers tried to break the partnership with tight lines and variations from Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, but the pair remained unbothered. Short though was dismissed on 74 runs in 78 balls as Australia at that time needed 78 runs to win from 14 overs. Mitchell Owen then played a fiery cameo of 36 runs in 23 balls as he hit 2 fours and 3 sixes.
Mitchell Owen’s brisk knock floors India
Mitchell Owen toyed with India’s bowling unit very brutally. Mitchell Owen & Cooper Connolly changed the complexion of the match in a flash as Mitchell Owen activated his T20 mode. Cooper Connolly & Mitchell Ownen stitched an invaluable partnership of 59 runs in 39 balls, which dethroned India completely from the match. Australia’s score at the departure of Mitchell Ownen was 246-6 as team was in touching distance, requiring another 19 runs to win from 45 balls.
Mitchel Starc, Xavier Bartlett came at the lower order but showed remarkable resilience under pressure. Starc hit crucial boundaries, which helped ease the required run rate. Though Starc got dismissed with just 5 runs needed, the lower order kept calm, rotating strike and hitting loose balls. Cooper Connolly in a calm manner finished the match as there were no more hiccups in the match.
Forgettable outing for Indian bowlers
India’s task was cut out as they needed to bundle out Australia to win the match. 265 runs in the modern arena isn’t a match winning target where dew was a bit evident. Some serious questions needs to be asked on the performance of Harshit Rana who was very expensive as he gave away 59 runs in his 8 over spell and took 2 wickets.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir & skipper Shubman Gill have been ignoring Kuldeep Yadav to bolster the batting unit by playing Washington Sundar. Washington Sundar though took 2 wickets and was also economical. It can be said somewhat that the return of Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma has brought in ‘n’ questions in the side and a disastrous start ahead for th build up for ICC ODI WC 2027.
India’s bowlers tried to strike early and build pressure mid-innings, but they couldn’t break the crucial partnership of Matt Short and Cooper Connolly. On the other hand, Australia’s lower order’s calmness under pressure proved to make difference, highlighting their strength and tough mentality.
Australia now leads 2-0 in the series, putting immense pressure on India heading into the final ODI. India will need to focus more on their bowling in the death overs and aim for more consistent batting from the top order batters.
Also Read: AUS vs IND: Adam Zampa & Mitchell Starc Annihilate India