Openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head featured in a dominating 121* stand as Australia beat India by ten wickets in the second ODI at Visakhapatnam on Sunday March 19. With the landslide victory, the visitors closed the three-game series 1-1.
After winning the coin toss, Australia beat India for a measly 117 in 26 overs as Mitchell Starc claimed 5-53 in eight overs. Marsh (66* from 36) and Head (51* from 30) then went wild as Australia took down the target in just 11 overs. Thus, a game that was supposed to be 50 overs per team ended in just 37 overs as India suffered their biggest defeat in terms of balls remaining.
Chasing 118, Head flailed Mohammed Siraj for four straight at second-over. Marsh then hit Mohammed Shami for successive boundaries as the Aussie batters warmed up for the onslaught. Marsh faced Shami again on his next over, which went 16. The batter started the over with a long six at wide and followed with a four run coverage. Another high followed as a short ball was fired over the ropes.
Head joined in the fun by slamming Siraj for four straight fours in the next innings as Australia ran 66-0 in six overs. Rohit Sharma introduced Hardik Pandya in the eighth only for Marsh to hit him for three sixes – the long-hit third max saw the Australian fly-half hit his fifty balls from 28.
India could have fired Head on 46 as he edged out Axar Patel. However, Shami dropped the hold, running for a long time. The loosening meant pretty much the kind of day it was for India.
Head hit a 29-ball half-century on the next delivery whipping Axar for a couple. The winning runs came from Marsh, who cut a short delivery behind the run for four.
Starc claim five as Australia beat India for 117
Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc claimed 5-53 as India were knocked out for 117 in 26 overs. Sean Abbott (3-23) and Nathan Ellis (2-13) also contributed as the Australians never allowed the Indian batters to settle.
Things started off on a disappointing note for India, as Shubman Gill (0) hit Starc on point. Rohit (13) was caught by the same bowler, attempting an expansive shot, while Suryakumar Yadav recorded his second straight golden duck. He was trapped front leg by Starc in what was a near carbon copy of his dismissal in the first ODI.
KL Rahul was next to go, trapped lbw by Starc for 9 years because he missed his film. A one-handed blinder from Steve Smith to the underpants fired Pandya (1), who flirted a good delivery length outside Abbott.
Virat Kohli made a patient 31 before he too fell to Ellis. Ravindra Jadeja (16) was caught behind trying to execute a delivery from Ellis that bounced off the deep third man a bit too much.
After two more wickets fell cheaply, Axar (29*) gave India joy, knocking out Starc for six consecutive years. However, the Indian innings folded in the same way as the left arm seam cleaned up Siraj (0) with a beauty to register his ninth five-wicket run in the ODIs.
