Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer’s half-centuries go in vain as Australia beat India by 3 wickets in the 2nd ODI played in Adelaide. Mitchell Marsh-led Aussies have also clinched the ODI series against Shubman Gill’s side. Fans were excited to see the return of Virat Kohli, but the star Indian batter couldn’t make a big score in the match as he departed on a duck. Interestingly, Virat Kohli departed on 0 even in the 1st ODI.
Facing tough conditions, Rohit showed both determination and skill in his 97-ball innings, helping India reach 264 for 9. However, this score was about 25 runs less than what was expected on the challenging pitch. When chasing, Australia had difficulty playing against the Indian spinners. With Nitish Reddy being used as a versatile player instead of having a true game-changer like Kuldeep, the visitors suffered in a tight match.
Cooper Connolly (61 not out from 53 balls) and Mitchell Owen (36 from 23 balls), both players trying out for the IPL, hit both fast and spin bowlers well as Australia recovered from a late loss of wickets to win comfortably in 46.2 overs. This gave them a 2-0 lead that cannot be changed in the three-game series. The pair scored 59 runs together in just 6.3 overs, helping Australia end a losing streak in this format. The last match of the series will take place in Canberra on October 25 but won’t affect the overall result.
Connolly, who recently played in an ‘A’ series in Kanpur, reminded people of Michael Bevan as he calmly finished the game by hitting the ball into open spaces during a tense moment. His performance also showed how tough it might be for India in the 2027 World Cup if they keep focusing too much on all-rounders instead of other types of players.
Axar Patel (1/52 in 10 overs) slowed down the bowling and bowled shorter balls, as Matt Renshaw (30) tried to attack but got out bowled. On the other side, Washington Sundar (2/37) made Alex Carey (9) impatient, leading him to try a sweep shot and get bowled. But when the strong Mitchell Owen came in, he hit Harshit Rana (2/59 in 8 overs) very hard, changing the game clearly in Australia’s favor.