Published: Jan 15, 2016, 04:33 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 15, 2016, 08:23 PM (IST)
Australia have made yet another record chase to go 2-0 up on India in the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series. This is the second consecutive match where they are breaking the record for highest chase at the concerned ground after achieving it at WACA in the series opener. Their chase was nicely structured though it looked like they were having troubles early on. Aaron Finch had Shaun Marsh as opening batsman in absence of David Warner. They both looked unsettled early on — Finch due to poor form and Shaun due to the unfamiliarity of the position. The Indian bowlers were good in patches but did not exert pressure for adequate periods. While Finch started badly his innings progressed very well and the case was similar with Marsh. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia 2015-16, 2nd ODI at Brisbane
India will rue not striking when the iron was hot. The batsmen offered chances to the fieldsmen while they were still trying to find their footing and the fielders goofed up. Ishant Sharma dropped a catch at long on off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling to give Marsh a reprieve. The same batsman had another chance later when he offered a difficult chance at slip to Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane got hand to it but did not latch on. Apart from that the Indian fielders were guilty of allowing the Australian easy singles.
Finch started playing some fantastic shots half way through his innings. He got past his fifty and looked good for a ton but was dismissed for a 81-ball 71 by Ravindra Jadeja. Shaun was the next man to fall with an Ishant Sharma rising delivery hurrying him to take the top edge and land into Virat Kohli’s hands for a simple catch at short cover. LIVE UPDATES: India vs Australia 2015-16, 2nd ODI at Brisbane
With those two wickets down, it was Steven Smith and George Bailey at the crease — the pair that was primarily responsible for Australia’s win in the first ODI. Smith played very well but and got 46 runs to his name in quick time. Meanwhile, Bailey was also in sedate form. He outlived his captain at the crease and got past the fifty-run mark, bringing up the mark with a six. He batted till the end scoring an unbeaten 58-ball 76.
By that time, the match was all but lost for India. Australia had paced their chase very well yet again and a victory looked inevitable. Bailey had Glenn Maxwell for company following Smith’s walk back to the pavillion. Maxwell was unusually averse to playing big shots in attempt to see Australia through with safety. They took home Australia home with seven wickets to spare in the end.
The Indian bowlers will rue not being able to cash in on the pressure they created. It is likely this result will force MS Dhoni to rethink his two-spinner strategy as well. The comeback man Ishant Sharma bowled a fiery spell early on and got a lot of bounce and swing early on but his lines were a little wayward. Barinder Sran bowled well for most part but the pressure in the latter overs made him lose his focus. Umesh Yadav was a disappointment though.
Earlier India scored 308-8 runs in their stipulated 50 overs. The lead run-scorer for them once against was Rohit Sharma who scored 124 off 127 balls. His efforts were backed up by half centuries from Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. Kohli got out for 59 runs while Rahane scored 89 runs of 80 balls. The Australian bowlers were not very impressive in the early overs but were highly effective in the death overs. James Faulkner bowled particularly well towards the end of the innings.
Brief scores:
India 308 for 8 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 124, Ajinkya Rahane 89; James Faulkner 2 for 64) lost to Australia 309 for 3 in 49 overs (Aaron Finch 71, Shaun Marsh 71, George Bailey 76; Ravindra Jadeja 1 for 50) by 7 wickets.
Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma
(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)
