Rohit Sharma’s fighting 73, complemented by Shreyas Iyer’s maiden fifty on Australian soil, helped India post a competitive total of 264/9 in Adelaide. However, the visitors’ effort proved insufficient on a pitch that eased under lights, as Matthew Short’s assured 74 and Cooper Connolly’s unbeaten 61 guided Australia to a two-wicket victory, securing an unassailable 2–0 lead in the three-match series.
There was moisture in the wicket, which prompted Mitchell Marsh to bowl first. Much like in the first game, Australia’s pacers were relentless with the new ball. Rohit took the majority of the strike and played many dot balls. He found himself in a battle with Josh Hazlewood, who went wicketless despite bowling his heart out. The fast bowler found seam movement and targeted the stumps against Rohit.
Such was Hazlewood’s dominance in his first spell that Rohit was struggling to make contact with the ball. He was hit on the pads several times and survived multiple LBW appeals on various occasions. At the other end, Shubman Gill barely got the strike. The pressure of the dot balls tempted him to take risks, and in doing so, he gave away his wicket while trying to clear mid-off.
In the same over, Xavier Bartlett trapped Virat Kohli in front of the stumps, dismissing him for his second consecutive duck in the series.
Rohit and Shreyas weathered the storm to build a 118-run partnership, with the batting improving noticeably, particularly after the spinners were introduced. Part-timers bowling during the middle overs helped Rohit and Shreyas to settle as both batters reached their respective fifties. Runs were coming at a decent pace. With two set batters at the crease, India looked set for a big total. Marsh once again turned to pace, and against the run of play, Mitchell Starc dismissed Rohit with a short ball, breaking that threatening partnership. Of Rohit’s 73 runs, most – 37 – came behind square, and it was in the same region that he got out.
Two overs later, India lost Shreyas, giving Zampa his first wicket. The leg-spinner went on to pick up three more wickets, including the scalps of Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the same over. At 226/8, it seemed India might fall short of batting the full 50 overs, but Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh put together a crucial 37-run partnership for the ninth wicket, pushing the team past 260.
India took wickets up front. The top-scorer from the last game, Marsh, got out as Arshdeep once again struck in his opening spell. Apart from one six that he hit off Mohammed Siraj’s bowling, Travis Head never looked comfortable and was dismissed for a 40-ball 28. Matt Renshaw then steadied the ship with Short, forging a 55-run partnership. Axar broke the stand by removing Renshaw.
Alex Carey was then outfoxed by Washington Sundar while playing a sweep shot. India’s fielding wasn’t up to the mark as Short was given two chances — first by Axar and then by Siraj. Those dropped catches hurt India as Short took his team to a strong position. His dismissal gave India a small opening. Mitchell Owen walked in and smashed a couple of sixes in his first 12 balls to ease the pressure. Once the margin was down to 40, Connolly also freed his arms and notched up his maiden ODI fifty. By the time Owen got out, it was a little too late for India.
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