"Reminded me of Yuvraj Singh's cover drive" - R Ashwin's huge statement on Australian youngster after AUS vs IND 2025 2nd ODI

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin compared Australian youngster Cooper Connolly's flashy off-side play to the legendary southpaw Yuvraj Singh. The emerging all-rounder scored an unbeaten 61 runs off 53 deliveries to send the Men in Yellow over the line with two wickets to spare in the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, October 23.

The left-handed player scored five fours and a six during his innings, one of which was a flashing cover drive off Harshit Rana, which raced towards the short square boundary, beating the fielder with its sheer pace. Former India coach and legendary broadcaster, Ravi Shastri, brought out his signature catchphrase 'tracer bullet' to describe the shot.

R Ashwin also expressed his thoughts regarding the stroke along similar lines, opining that he was reminded of Yuvraj Singh's famous 80-ball 84 in his debut outing during the 2000 ICC Knockout Cup quarter-final against Australia.

"There is not much experience in this Australian batting line up, even then they showed so much strength that they proved to the world that the next generation of batters are truly ready. Cooper Connolly's cover drive reminded me of Yuvraj Singh's cover drive from his debut during the Champions Trophy against Australia," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Cooper Connolly played a crucial role in the run chase after India posted a 265-run target after overcoming an early struggle.

R Ashwin stated that the Men in Blue posted a decent target considering they were placed at 17-2 at one stage in some testing conditions.

"I think India batted well, Australia were getting a lot of help from the wicket at the start. From that perspective, I think India got a good score on the board. So, I had hope during the innings break that India can defend this score. Siraj bowled really well with the new ball. He was moving the ball well," he added.

The Men in Blue managed to stay in the hunt in the second innings by getting wickets at regular intervals to reduce Australia to 187-5 after 36 overs. However, a sparkling cameo by Mitchell Owen, with Connolly holding one end, meant that the hosts got over the line, despite a slight stumble towards the end.

"Shreyas is the best batter against spin" - R Ashwin on Team India's biggest takeaway from AUS vs IND 2025 2nd ODI

The returning wrist spinner, Adam Zampa, proved to be one of the match winners for Australia in the second ODI as he ended with stellar figures of 4-60 off his 10 overs. One of his scalps was Shreyas Iyer, who was looking menacing against the spinner, having struck a boundary just a delivery before his untimely dismissal.

"India's biggest positive came from Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer. What was pleasing to see was how good Shreyas was on the back foot. I was a touch surprised that Zampa eventually got Shreyas, because in this particular XI, Shreyas is the best batter against spin. Nobody else, no Virat, no Rohit, nobody," Ashwin said.

The third ODI between India and Australia is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The Mitchell Marsh-led side have already claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.