Rohit Sharma’s defiant 73 went in vain as India surrendered the three-match ODI series against Australia after losing the second game by two wickets here on Thursday, a setback that will reignite the debate on proven match-winner Kuldeep Yadav’s omission from the playing XI.
Under pressure, Rohit mixed grit with grace in a 97-ball knock on a spicy track that formed the cornerstone of India’s total of 264-9, which was at least 25 short of what should have been a par-score.
In reply, Cooper Connolly (61 not out off 53 balls) and Mitchell Owen (36 off 23 balls), flayed the pacers and spinners alike as Australia survived a late collapse to canter home in 46.2 overs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Earlier, the Indian innings was about Rohit’s determination, and he had to survive a lot of anxious moments in the Powerplay when Josh Hazlewood (0-29 in 10 overs, including two maidens) made the ball talk.
While Rohit fought, Virat Kohli was dismissed without scoring for a second consecutive game.
Considering his record at the venue over the years, experts, fans, and pundits expected the seasoned cricketer to do well with the bat in the second ODI. In what is likely to be Kohli’s final appearance at the iconic Adelaide Oval, the Indian veteran was outsmarted by the young Xavier Bartlett to continue a dismal ODI series so far.
In a classy move, the Adelaide Oval crowd celebrated Kohli’s brilliant career, standing and applauding him as he walked off. Kohli then raised his right arm to acknowledge the fans.
India captain Shubman Gill admitted that dropped catches and a total which was just adequate cost his side dearly.
“We had just enough runs on the board. Never easy when you drop a couple of chances to be able to defend that kind of total,” Gill said.
The young skipper did not find any demons in the pitch either. “The wicket did a little early on, but it settled nicely after 15-20 overs,” Gill said.
11,249
Total number of runs scored by Rohit Sharma, surpassing Sourav Ganguly (11,221), to become India’s third-highest run-scorer in ODIs
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