Gill and Iyer slam centuries as India post mammoth 399
In the second One Day International (ODI) showdown between India and Australia at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, yhe the home side beat the visitors by a significant margin of 99 runs. Indian batters produced exceptional performances, particularly Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who formed a formidable partnership of 200 runs for the second wicket.
Their remarkable batting display propelled India to a monumental total of 399 runs, marking it as India’s highest-ever ODI score against Australia. In response to India’s batting onslaught, Australia’s innings folded for a mere 217 runs in 28.2 overs.
The only positive thing for Australia was Sean Abbott’s late fireworks with a quickfire 54 from 36 balls in 75 runs partnership for 9th wicket. India’s spin maestros, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, were instrumental in this triumph, sharing three crucial wickets each which further compounded Australia’s woes, leading to their fifth consecutive ODI defeat
The story of the match began with Australia winning the toss and opting to field first. Josh Hazlewood provided an early breakthrough for Australia, dismissing Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for a meager 8 runs in just the fourth over.
Despite the earlier setbacke, India continued to attack and reached 79 for the loss of one wicket before rain halted play in the tenth over. Shubman Gill, who started innings cautiously, accelerated his innings after the rain and reached his half-century in just 37 deliveries.
Gill, alongside Shreyas Iyer, took full advantage of the short boundaries and a seemingly a belter of a pitch. Iyer’s century, his third in ODIs, came in a mere 86 balls which must have put a lot of confidence in his game. Before losing his wicket, je received a significant reprieve when Sean Abbott, in a stunning effort, appeared to have taken a remarkable catch off Iyer in the 31st over.
Upon review, it was revealed that the ball had made contact with the ground during Abbott’s diving attempt, granting Iyer a second chance. However, two balls later Abbott dismissed his Iyer cleanly.
Ashwin and Jadeja spin Australia out for 217 to seal series win
Australia’s pursuit of India’s imposing total got off to a disastrous beginning as Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna removed both opener Matthew Short and former captain Steve Smith in consecutive deliveries during the second over. Short was caught at deep third man by Ashwin while Smith played a loose shot, departed without scoring a run.
Rain disrupted play once more in the ninth over, leading to the adjustment of Australia’s target to 317 runs from 33 overs under the DLS Method. David Warner, the veteran opener, and Marnus Labuschagne attempted to resurrect the innings with an 80-run partnership for the third wicket.
Nevertheless, their efforts were thwarted when Ravichandran Ashwin bamboozled Labuschagne with a mesmerizing carrom ball, dismissing him for 27 runs from 31 deliveries. With this triumph, India not only secured victory in the ODI series but also established an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with the next encounter scheduled for Wednesday evening.
As Australia contemplates this defeat, they have much to ponder before their upcoming World Cup campaign, set to begin next month. The third and final ODI contest between India and Australia is slated to take place at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on the following Wednesday.
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