Sports: Dominant India Defeats Australia by 44 Runs, Takes Commanding 2-0 Series Lead

Thiruvananthapuram, 26th November 2023: The second ODI between India and Australia took place at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This match marks the second encounter in the ongoing five-match T20I series between the two cricketing nations. Following India’s victory in the first match, secured through a thrilling last-ball finish with a 2-wicket margin, India led the series 1-0. In this match, India emerged victorious by 44 runs as Australia’s innings concluded after 20 overs. With this win, India now commands a 2-0 lead in the 5-match T20I series.

Opting to bowl after winning the toss, Australia’s captain Matthew Wade cited the expectation of dew later in the match, underscoring the team’s need to adapt to the prevailing conditions. Wade acknowledged the team’s performance in the previous game and announced two changes for this match – Adam Zampa replaces Jason Behrendorff, and Glenn Maxwell comes in for Aaron Hardie. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, sharing Wade’s preference for bowling first due to the dew factor, praised the team’s batting response in the last game. Surya acknowledged the learning curve of captaincy and revealed that they are maintaining the same playing eleven for this match.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal formed the opening pair for India, capitalizing on Australia’s initial lack of control over the ball, resulting in some conceded extra runs. India had a steady start with impressive contributions from both openers. Yashasvi Jaiswal, with aggressive hitting, propelled India to the 50-run mark in just the 4th over. Jaiswal achieved his half-century in a mere 24 balls, even before the powerplay concluded. However, his innings was cut short at 53 in 25 balls, as he was caught by Adam Zampa in the short third-man position off Nathan Ellis’s delivery.

Ishan Kishan came in after Jaiswal’s dismissal, and India scored 77 for the loss of 1 wicket in the powerplay, maintaining a high run rate of 12.8, largely due to Jaiswal’s contribution. After Jaiswal’s exit, the Indian innings slowed down a bit. The team reached the 100-run mark in the 10th over, with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan stabilizing the innings. India crossed the 150-run mark in the 15th over, courtesy of the Gaikwad-Kishan partnership. Despite coming in after Gaikwad, Kishan reached his half-century earlier, scoring 52 runs in 32 balls before getting caught on deep extra covers by Nathan Ellis off Marcus Stoinis’s delivery.

Interim captain Suryakumar Yadav, who came in after Kishan’s dismissal, began with a six. Gaikwad, who had an anchoring role, completed his half-century in 39 balls. Suryakumar Yadav, looking to attack aggressively, got out at 19 off 10 balls, caught by Marcus Stoinis on Nathan Ellis’s delivery. Rinku Singh came in after Suryakumar’s dismissal. India reached the 200-run mark in the 19th over, with Rinku Singh scoring 25 runs alone in that over. Gaikwad was caught by Tim David on Nathan Ellis’s delivery at 58 in 43 balls.

Tilak Verma, who came in after Gaikwad’s dismissal, hit a six on the first ball, similar to Suryakumar. Rinku Singh scored a quick 31 runs in 9 balls, remaining not out, while Tilak Verma contributed 7 runs in 2 balls, also not out. India posted a total of 235 runs, losing 4 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. This marked the 5th highest score in the history of T20 internationals.

In the Australian bowling department, Nathan Ellis was the most successful bowler, claiming 3 wickets in his 4 overs while conceding 45 runs. Marcus Stoinis also contributed with 1 wicket in his 3 overs, giving away 27 runs. However, the Australian bowlers faced challenges as each bowler had an economy rate exceeding 8.00, indicating their relative expense in terms of runs conceded per over.

Chasing the challenging target of 236 runs, Australia opened with Steve Smith and Matt Short, who adopted an aggressive approach. Matt Short and Steve Smith scored quick runs before Short was bowled out by leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi at 19 in 10 balls. Josh Inglis came in after Short’s dismissal but made little impact, scoring 2 off 4 balls before Tilak Verma caught him sprinting backwards from mid-on on Bishnoi’s delivery. Glenn Maxwell came next but was dismissed just before the powerplay, batting at 12 in 8 balls, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal on Axar Patel’s delivery. Marcus Stoinis entered the fray following Maxwell’s dismissal. In the powerplay, where aggressive batting was crucial, Australia managed 53 runs but lost 3 crucial wickets.

Steve Smith, who seemed well-set, was dismissed at 19 runs in 16 balls, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal on Prasidh Krishna’s delivery. Tim David joined the innings after Smith’s departure. Despite losing wickets, Australia continued to attack, reaching the 100-run mark in the 10th over but faced a shortage of wickets. A crucial momentum shift occurred in Australia’s favour when they scored 23 runs off Mukesh Kumar’s bowling in the 10th over. Stoinis was dropped by Tilak Verma on Arshdeep’s bowling in the 12th over when he was on 23 runs.

As the momentum was favouring Australia, Axar Patel bowled a magnificent 13th over, conceding only 5 runs, shifting momentum towards India. As the required run rate mounted, Tim David fell into India’s trap, caught by Ruturaj Gaikwad on Ravi Bishnoi’s delivery, scoring 37 off 22 balls. Stand-in captain Matthew Wade entered the field after David’s dismissal. Stoinis, who appeared dangerous, was caught by Axar Patel at long-on on Mukesh Kumar’s delivery when he was batting at 45 in 25 balls. Sean Abbott followed Stoinis’ dismissal, and Prasiddh Krishna bowled him out at 1 run in 2 balls.

In the same over, Prasiddh Krishna also bowled out Nathan Ellis at 1 run in 4 balls. With Australia needing 84 off 24 balls and only 2 wickets in hand, Adam Zampa came in after Ellis’s dismissal. Zampa left without making an impact, being bowled out by Arshdeep Singh at 1 in 3 balls. Tanveer Sangha was the last man to come in after Zampa’s dismissal. Mathew Wade was struck in the stomach by Krishna’s delivery in the 17th over but managed to return and continue playing. Wade scored 42 off 23 balls, remaining not out, while Tanveer Sangha also stayed not out at 2 runs in 4 balls. In the allotted 20 overs, Australia scored 191 runs, losing 9 wickets.

From India’s bowling department, Prasiddh Krishna claimed 3 wickets in his 4 overs, conceding 41 runs. Ravi Bishnoi also secured 3 wickets in his 4 overs, giving away 32 runs. Mukesh Kumar, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh each took 1 wicket.

India won the match by 44 runs as Australia’s 20 overs concluded. With this victory, India now leads the series 2-0 in the 5-match T20I series. The Indian team posted an imposing total, and Australia struggled to match it. Interim captain Suryakumar Yadav has been noteworthy in his leadership. The upcoming match, the 3rd T20I of the series, is scheduled to take place at Assam Cricket Association Stadium, Guwahati, on November 28, 2023.