India’s failure to capitalise in death overs reason for loss against Australia in 2nd ODI

The onus is now on India to make a comeback in the series as another win would seal the battle for Australia

Australia frolicked home to another conquest in the second One-Day International (ODI) of the five-match series at Brisbane on Friday. It was virtually indistinguishable from their triumph in the first game at Perth as the hosts now have a striking lead of 2-0 in the series. Introspection on this game would suggest India’s failure to capitalise the final ten overs along with inexperience bowling attack and shoddy fielding is what cost them the game. The onus is now on India to make a comeback in the series as another win would seal the battle for Australia. Suraj Choudhari discusses minute details and throws light on the problem which India should address before the ship is sailed.  FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia 2015-16, 2nd ODI at Brisbane

In two games so far, India managed to put up imposing scores, but unfortunately it did not prove to be sufficient enough to contain the hosts on both occasions. In the second encounter, Indian batsmen stuck to their guns and made a terrific comeback after suffering an early blow in the form of Shikhar Dhawan, only to lose the momentum in the end. They looked all set for 340, but never got there, for India kept losing wickets and the run rate dropped drastically in the final phase of their batting. The problem has been the same. A platform was built; the foundation was laid for a big score; but India managed just 75 runs in their final 10 overs despite having 8 wickets in hand. They scored just 38 runs from the last 5 overs. One could have crystal-glazed and seen India winning this game if they had another 40-odd runs to their existing total.

With the evolving game, many aspects of the game have significantly invigorated. The rate at which runs are being scored in death overs is often astronomical. The time has gone when scoring 8 an over in the final 10 overs was considered phenomenal. Contemporary cricket demands a run rate of no less than 10 or 12 per over during the death. The conditions at The Gabba were batting-friendly and the ball was coming nicely on to the bat. For a batsman, after getting his eye in, scoring runs at a quick pace was not tricky.  LIVE UPDATES: India vs Australia 2015-16, 2nd ODI at Brisbane

India’s batting in the death and ability to counterattack yorkers have been dreadful in the past. At the end of the 40th over, India were comfortably placed at 233 for 2. Even 10 runs per over from here would have got them to close to 330 — but their inability to deal with the full deliveries didn’t let them achieve fruitful dividends. Of course, credit should be given to Australian bowlers for bowling magnificently, but there was no improvisation or adaptive batting executed by Indian batsmen to counterattack the dead right Yorkers. READ: Australia’s wins against India hold extra significance due to inexperience in side

Rohit Sharma batted with assurance and placed his innings beautifully, but India kept losing wickets at the wrong times. It started with Virat Kohli, who was all set to attack but fell short of his ground while attempting a second run. Rohit found himself on the other side of luck when James Faulkner deflected a straight drive from Ajinkya Rahane straight on to the non-striker’s stumps. All are aware of Rohit’s ability to launch a blitzkrieg on the opposition in the death. His dismissal surely reduced 30 runs for the eventual target. MS Dhoni, too, was not able to replicate his big hitting of the days of his prime; he failed to get under the ball and landed up into the safe hands of Glenn Maxwell at long-on. Rahane, too, slowed down in the end as he was expected to accelerate the Indian innings which he failed to but played his part. Wickets fell like ninepins as India lost a 8 wickets in the last 10 overs.

While there are several other issues which needs to addressed namely erratic fielding and directionless bowling but failure to capitalise the death overs is unquestionably the peskiest one. Ishant Sharma dropped Aaron Finch early on in the innings at deep cover boundary as he made a mess of a sitter of a catch. Moments later, Rahane didn’t convert a half-chance at first slip when a good delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin took a thick edge of Shaun Marsh’s willow. Though it was a tough ask, but in order to conquer a team like Australia in their own den these half chances need to be converted into wickets. Further, Manish Pandey too dropped a catch at first slip and gave Marsh another reprieve.

With the king-sized bats coming into play, 300 is no more a safe target. The ball is in Australia’s court at the moment and India is currently over the barrel, until and unless these inconveniences are looked upon India will surrender the series in the third game at Melbourne itself. Batting is India’s forte, and with Mohammad Shami not being available in the pace battery they should look forward to go for the kill with all guns blazing with the bat.

(Suraj Choudhari is a reporter with Criclife and CricketCountry. He is an avid follower of the game, and plays the sport at club level. He has a radical understanding about the subtle nuances and intricacies of cricket, and tries to express it through paper and pen.)

About the Author