Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head hit brilliant half-centuries to lead Australia to a comfortable ten-wicket victory over India in the second ODI meeting at Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Chasing 117, the Aussie opener made short work of the chase as they completed it in just 11 overs. It was an unwelcome record for Rohit Sharma and Co as it was the fastest target chased against India in ODI cricket. The previous record was held by New Zealand who chased 93 in 14.4 overs.
Mitchell Starc’s 5-53 and a blazing 66 from Mitchell Marsh helped Australia destroy India by 10 wickets in the second ODI to take the series to 1-1 on Sunday. A fast left arm, Starc rattled the Indian batsman with his pace and swing to rally the opposition for 117 in 26 overs.
Openers Travis Head (51) and Marsh, who hit six sixes in his 36-ball blitz, then broke up the Indian bowling to romp home in 11 overs to level the three-game series with one game remaining to go.
Australia ended the chase with 39 overs left, coming back from their opening loss.
Starc led the team’s deadly attack with Shubman Gill’s wicket for a duck after the tourists decided to bowl first after an overnight rain.
Two consecutive strikes from Starc to get returning skipper Rohit Sharma for 13 and then Suryakumar Yadav knocked out for a second consecutive first-ball duck pushed India onto the back foot.
KL Rahul played out the hat-trick ball but took just 11 deliveries before falling leg for wicket for Starc, who returned figures of 4-31 in his first six overs period.
Skipper Steve Smith took a stunning one-handed catch at first slip to dismiss Hardik Pandya for a one-off bowling from Sean Abbott, who took three wickets.
Going full right, Smith was airborne as he caught the catch off an edge from Pandya, sending social media abuzz with praise for his “superman” effort.
Virat Kohli tried to hit back for India with a score of 31 including four boundaries before being trapped up front by Nathan Ellis.
Wickets continued to tumble and the departure of Ravindra Jadeja, the hero of Friday’s first match in Mumbai, for 16 from Ellis’s bowling added to India’s woes.
Starc ended the innings with his ninth five-wicket ODI haul. Axar Patel, who came on in place of Shardul Thakur, was unbeaten on 29 after hitting two sixes.
The southpaw Head and Marsh fired out as they knocked Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami to all parts of the ground.
Head started the attack with two straight boundaries at Siraj and Marsh soon joined the charge with a string of fours and sixes.
Marsh, who hit 81 in his team’s opening loss, hit two straight sixes off Pandya to reach his fifty off 28 balls.
Head soon raised his 50th and Marsh reached the winning frontier to take the series decider to Chennai on Wednesday.
(with AFP inputs)
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