A superlative batting performance by Australia helped them achieve the highest second-innings total at the Gabba, thereby comprehensively outplaying India to win the second ODI of the VB Series by 7 wickets.
If anything, the first innings after India won the toss and chose to bat, was a carbon copy of India’s effort at Perth with a little less aggression and a haphazard, quite un-understandable approach towards the death by the visitors.
It was a deja vu from the last game, as Shikhar Dhawan departed in the third over thereby drawing the onus on Virat Kohli to accompany last match’s centurion, and the one who would later go on to make it two in two, Rohit Sharma.
Indian show sans aggression
Sharma and Kohli began their repair work, and it must be understood by now that they’re used to it, given Dhawan’s early departures of late, especially outside Asia. The duo shared a 125-run stand for the second wicket in just over 21 overs to bring the much-needed solidity and balance to the Indian innings.
It was nothing new, however, and with the Australian pitches going the India way, the competition was reduced to who out-bats the other team, with the bowlers being left to their luck. When Kohli got run-out for 59- yes, run-out it was, yet again- India were placed at 134/2 in the 24th over.
Ajinkya Rahane got his first opportunity to bat in the VB series thereafter, and he made sure that he made a proper statement by hitting a 80-ball 89, and played firm sport to Sharma at the other end who yet again played the role of an anchor and completed his second hundred on the trot, thereby, and quite understandably, drawing more flak than accolades, with all his credits being given to the flat Gabba deck.
The Mumbai duo carried on the process of building the innings with another partnership of over a hundred runs, before a straight drive from Rahane ricocheted from the bowler James Faulkner’s hands and crashed onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end, before the centurion who was backing up too far could get back to safety.
That change of fortune brought unfortunate signs for India, as their next three wickets- that of the captain MS Dhoni, Rahane, and Manish Pandey- all fell to the same variation of slow deliveries that Faulkner has up his sleeve.
Dhoni tried to whack the ball over long-on but couldn’t manage the power as Smith latched on an easy catch while Rahane was caught at deep midwicket by the Australian captain, Steve Smith. Pandey hit one boundary before he too failed to read the slower one and was caught off a leading edge.
Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja found the apt time to rotate the strike then- the final over of the innings- before Ashwin tried and failed with an intended ramp over fine-leg, that flew comfortably over slips and found its rightful place in Scott Boland’s hands.
Jadeja hit the last ball of the Indian innings straight towards the bowler, who gracefully picked it up and disturbed the bails. India stuttered to 308/8, a score that looked mighty statistically but was comfortably 25-30 runs less than what it should have been.
The right-handed Indian opener didn’t better his 171* this time but did well enough with his 124. Faulkner picked up two wickets, while Boland, Hastings and Joel Paris took one wicket each.
Australia’s planned reply
It was when the Australian innings began that we saw a game different to the one played at the WACA. Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh- who filled in for David Warner- saw off the new ball, and converted the early hiccups into temperament and started milking the Indian bowling post the 10th over.
Both the openers hit superb half-centuries, aided by the Indian benevolence to their IPL trustworthy, Marsh, who was dropped on multiple occasions- once by Ishant Sharma who dropped a sitter at long-on, and again by Pandey at a wide first slip.
The tryst with destiny lasted long enough for the left-hander so that he could make 71 before a leading edge off Ishant saw Kohli take what his teammate couldn’t a few overs earlier.
That came, however, after Rahane had made up for the missed sharp chance to grab Marsh, again, off the bowling of Ashwin by taking a brilliant diving catch at long-off to send Finch back.
By the 30th over Australia were 166/2 thereby needing 143 runs more to win, and the game looked to be hung in the balance.
But it wasn’t so, as the stage was set by then for Smith and George Bailey to do thenceforth what they do best, especially against India. They shared a 122 run-stand, that had a mixture of beautifully carved boundaries as well as planned strokes of luck going their way until Smith did the unthinkable by missing a ball bowled by an Indian bowler.
Umesh Yadav got the opposition’s captain in the 41st over, but by then, his side was left to prevent the inevitable from happening. The required run-rate that crept to as high as 7.5 was looked at with utter nonchalance, as one of the Australian centurions from the last game along with Glenn Maxwell strolled Australia home by 7 wickets.
Despite the heartbreak, Rohit’s knock was good enough to earn him the man of the match award.
Scorecard:
India (toss): 309/7, Overs 50
| Batsman | Runs(Balls) |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 6(10) |
| Rohit Sharma | 124(127) |
| Virat Kohli | 59(67) |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 89(80) |
| MS Dhoni | 11(10) |
| Manish Pandey | 6(5) |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 5(5) |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 1(2) |
| Umesh Yadav | 0*(1) |
| Total | 309/7 |
Bowling:
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets |
| Joel Paris | 8 | 40 | 1 |
| Kane Richardson | 8 | 61 | 0 |
| John Hastings | 8 | 46 | 1 |
| Scott Boland | 10 | 64 | 1 |
| James Faulkner | 10 | 64 | 2 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 6 | 33 | 0 |
Australia: 310/3, Overs: 49.0
| Aaron Finch | 71(81) |
| Shaun Marsh | 71(84) |
| Steven Smith | 46(47) |
| George Bailey | 76*(58) |
| Glenn Maxwell | 26*(25) |
| Total | 309/3 |
Bowling:
| Barinder Sran | 9 | 51 | 0 |
| Ishant Sharma | 10 | 60 | 1 |
| Umesh Yadav | 10 | 74 | 1 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 9 | 50 | 1 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 10 | 60 | 0 |
| Virat Kohli | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Australia beat India by 7 wickets.
Man of the match: Rohit Sharma
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