Ahead of the second ODI against Australia in Adelaide, the onus was clearly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as the experienced duo looked to make substantial contributions in the series. Eventually, it turned out to be a case of contrasting fortunes for the two veterans – Rohit accumulated a 97-ball 73 while Kohli ended up with his second duck, in ODIs, in Australia. Thanks to fifties from Rohit and Shreyas Iyer, and the lower-order batters’ pyrotechnics, India finished with 264/9 on the board.
India, who were sent in to bat, struggled to negate the seaming conditions upfront. By the seventh over, both Shubman Gill and Kohli were back in the hut, with the score reading 17 for 2. Rohit himself grappled with the moving ball, and was consistently beaten on both edges of the bat by Josh Hazlewood.
In fact, at one point of time, he was on just 13 off 39 deliveries. On the other hand, Hazlewood drew a whopping 44.4 per cent false shots in his quota of 10 overs, but couldn’t take a single wicket. It tells something about the consistent nip on offer with the new ball.
The introduction of Mitchell Owen and a slew of spinners gave some breathing space for Rohit and Iyer to rebuild the innings. Rohit smacked Owen for a couple of sixes and essayed a sublime loft while facing Adam Zampa. On the other hand, Iyer punished long hops from Matthew Short.
Unfortunately for India, Rohit fell to Mitchell Starc. Zampa then cleaned up both KL Rahul and Iyer to leave India in further trouble. At that juncture, Axar Patel made a vital contribution – 44 off 41 deliveries – while Harshit Rana used the long handle to good effect against Zampa. Arshdeep Singh too cracked a four or two as he strung together a stand of 37 with Harshit for the ninth wicket to power India to a competitive total.
For Australia, Zampa showed the value of having a wrist spinner in limited overs by taking four wickets.
Brief scores: India 264/9 (Rohit 73, Shreyas 61, Axar 44; Zampa 4-60, Bartlett 3-39) v Australia.
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