Rohit Sharma (Photo Source: Twitter)
Michell Starc-led Aussie bowling unit absolutely decimated India in the second ODI of the series at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Winning the toss, skipper Steve Smith opted to bowl first as his troop brilliantly used the pace and bounce that the surface provided. They started in a remarkable fashion as the Indian batters struggled massively in the middle.
In the top order, youngster Shubman Gill failed to prove his mettle. His dismissal was very similar to the one from the previous ODI at the Wankhede Stadium and he would want to improve ahead of the third ODI. Meanwhile, his opening partner and skipper Rohit Sharma started well but the 35-year-old had to walk back following a thick edge.
Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, once again failed to make the most of the opportunity as he got out for a second consecutive duck. The cricketer had no answer to Starc’s brilliant in-swinger as he was dismissed lbw on his first ball.
KL Rahul came to bat after Yadav’s dismissal but he too could not survive the wrath of Starc. The stumper-batter was sensational in the last match, helping India to register a five-wicket win over the visiting side. However, Rahul looked off-balance while trying to flick a delivery as the ball hit straight on his pad.
Hardik Pandya then came to the crease but could not spend much time in the middle as ace pacer Sean Abbott dismissed him pretty early. Just like Rohit, the all-rounder had a thick edge as Steve Smith caught a brilliant one-handed catch in the first slip.
Later, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja tried to stabilize the situation but Kohli got out in the 16th over of the match after scoring 31 off 35 deliveries. The former India skipper tried to play the ball across the line but it hit straight to the pads as it was an easy decision for the onfield umpire.
On the other hand, Jadeja’s stay in the crease was pretty short-lived as Ellis picked up his second wicket by dismissing the all-rounder for 16. Later Kuldeep Yadav too lost his wicket off Sean Abbott as India’s ship sank further. Axar Patel was ultimately the lone warrior as the southpaw remained not-out on 29. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj failed to support him as India posted only 117.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store