VISHAKHAPATNAM: Australian tempo ace Mitchell Starc’s devastating bowling (5/53) and openers Mitchell Marsh (66 not out) and Travis Head’s (51 not out) smashing unbeaten 121-run opening partnership helped the guests thrash India by 10 wickets to stage the three-match ODI sequence 1-1 right here on Sunday.
The Australians, set a lowly 118-run goal to win the match, accomplished the job with 234 balls to spare, making it India’s worst-ever defeat within the 50-over format by way of the variety of deliveries.
After recording their fourth-lowest whole at house and total third-lowest towards Australia in ODIs, Indian bowlers have been in for an uphill job.
They, nonetheless, could not do a lot on a pitch helping seam and swing bowling, the place Starc and Co. had earlier seemed just about unplayable.
Questions might be requested about India’s preparations for the ODI World Cup, to be held within the nation later this yr, following the morale-shattering loss.
However for now, it was all about how rapidly Marsh and Head may finish India’s distress on Sunday.
Marsh turned out to be the lead aggressor, smashing six boundaries and as many maximums off simply 36 balls, whereas Head wasn’t too far behind, scoring his 51 off simply 30 deliveries with 10 boundaries to finish India’s distress.
This was Australia’s second 10-wicket win over India in ODIs.
If Starc and Co. picked up the frailties in India’s batting line-up on seaming wickets fairly quick, Marsh continued from the place he had left off within the first ODI at Mumbai, mentioning his second consecutive fifty of the sequence.
The ultra-aggressive method from Marsh and Head noticed Australia race to 66 within the first six overs bowled by Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
The Indian quicks failed to search out comparable help from the floor and circumstances that had earlier gladdened the Australian bowlers’ hearts.
The destiny of the sequence will now be determined within the third ODI, to be performed in Chennai on March 22.
It was Starc laid who laid the platform for the morale-boosting win by destroying India’s batting.
The tall left-arm bowler as soon as once more turned out to be tormentor-in-chief as his five-wicket haul blew away India in simply 26 overs.
Starc, who had three wickets within the earlier recreation, took 5/53 in eight overs — together with 4 in his first spell — as India discovered themselves in scorching waters as quickly because the match began.
With nip off the floor offering plenty of assist, Starc bowled excellent back-of-the-length deliveries with a pair angled throughout the right-handers and some which got here in after pitching.
Whereas the decisive harm was completed by Starc, Sean Abbott (3/23) and Nathan Ellis (2/13) then bowled exhausting lengths to run by way of the lower-middle order in what turned out to be a disastrous day for the hosts.
Virat Kohli did maintain one find yourself for some time with a 35-ball 31 and Axar Patel scored an entertaining unbeaten 29 studded with two sixes off Starc.
Their innings have been the one vibrant spots for India with their batting uncovered as soon as once more by swing and tempo.
Australia tempo spearhead Starc claimed 4 wickets in his opening spell of 6-1-31-4, eradicating Shubman Gill (0), Rohit Sharma (13), Suryakumar Yadav (0) and KL Rahul (9) to depart India in tatters, and their prolonged batting line-up consisting of Ravindra Jadeja (16) and Patel couldn’t bother the scorers a lot.
On what gave the impression to be a flight deck right here, for the second time within the sequence, India have been off to a poor begin with Starc inflicting the utmost harm inside the primary 5 overs, discovering swing however no seam motion with overcast circumstances and robust wind blowing throughout all through the primary innings.
After getting Shubman Gill (0) caught at level within the first over, he ended Kohli and Sharma’s rebuilding act within the fifth over.
Sharma flashed exhausting however was caught at first slip by Smith, who grabbed the transferring ball in a couple of try, and Starc struck once more on the subsequent supply, trapping Yadav leg-before for a second consecutive first-ball duck on this sequence.
The left-arm pacer continued making inroads into the Indian batting line-up, hanging as soon as once more within the ninth over to entice KL Rahul (9) leg-before.
The batsman, after session with Kohli went upstairs, however DRS confirmed the sphere umpire’s name and India have been left reeling at 48/4 inside 9 overs.
There was no respite for India with Australia right-arm pacer Abbott producing an out of doors edge off the primary ball within the tenth over, and Smith took a surprising one-handed diving catch on his proper to make Hardik Pandya’s (1) journey to the center a really quick one.
Kohli and Jadeja did cease the procession for some time with their 22-run sixth-wicket stand, however the introduction of Nathan Ellis introduced extra positive factors for Australia.
The suitable-arm quick bowler, taking part in solely his fourth ODI, received the important thing wicket of Kohli, pinning him in entrance of the wickets for a 35-ball 31 with 4 hits to the fence.
Jadeja was caught behind off Ellis and the Indian tailender did not final lengthy as Starc bowled an unplayable supply to Mohammed Siraj to clip the off-bail.
