Openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head featured in a dominant stand of 121* as Australia pounded India by ten wickets in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam on Sunday (March 19). With the crushing win, the visitors squared the three-match series 1-1.
Bowling first after winning the toss, Australia bundled India out for a paltry 117 in 26 overs as Mitchell Starc claimed 5-53 in eight overs. Marsh (66* off 36) and Head (51* off 30) then went on a rampage as Australia gunned down the target in a mere 11 overs. Thus, a game that was supposed to be 50-overs per side ended in just 37 overs as India suffered their biggest defeat in terms of balls remaining.
Chasing 118, Head flayed Mohammed Siraj for consecutive fours in the second over. Marsh then punched Mohammed Shami for successive boundaries as Australia’s batters warmed up for the assault. Marsh took on Shami again in his next over, which went for 16. The batter began the over with a six to wide long-on and followed up with a four through cover point. Another maximum followed as a short ball was pulled over the ropes.
Head joined in the fun by slamming Siraj for four back-to-back fours in the next over as Australia raced away to 66-0 in six overs. Rohit Sharma introduced Hardik Pandya in the eighth over only for Marsh to club him for three sixes – the third maximum, whacked over long-on, saw the Aussie opener reach his fifty off 28 balls.
India could have dismissed Head on 46 as he top-edged a slog sweep off Axar Patel. However, Shami dropped the catch, running in from long-on. The let-off pretty much signified the kind of day it was for India.
Head reached a 29-ball half-century off the next delivery by whipping Axar for a couple. The winning runs came off Marsh, who cut a shortish delivery behind point for four.
Starc claims five as Australia bowl out India for 117
Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc claimed 5-53 as India were bowled out for 117 in 26 overs. Sean Abbott (3-23) and Nathan Ellis (2-13) also chipped in as the Aussies never allowed Indian batters to settle in.
Things began on a disappointing note for India, as Shubman Gill (0) hit Starc to point. Rohit (13) was caught off the same bowler, attempting an expansive stroke, while Suryakumar Yadav registered his second consecutive golden duck. He was trapped leg before by Starc in what was a near carbon copy of his dismissal in the first ODI.
KL Rahul was the next to go, trapped lbw by Starc for 9, as he missed his flick. A one-handed blinder from Steve Smith at slip sent back Pandya (1), who flirted at a good length delivery outside off from Abbott.
Virat Kohli made a patient 31 before he too fell lbw to Ellis. Ravindra Jadeja (16) was caught behind trying to run a delivery from Ellis that bounced a little too much to deep thirdman.
After two more wickets fell cheaply, Axar (29*) gave India some joy, striking Starc for consecutive sixes. However, the Indian innings folded up in the same over as the left-arm seamer cleaned up Siraj (0) with a beauty to register his ninth five-wicket haul in ODIs.
