India were beaten by Australia in the 2nd ODI by 10 wickets (BCCI Photo)
The defeat was an eye-opener for India, especially when the team is going to play a world cup this year, that too, at home. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that the batters didn’t apply themselves in the game
Losing to Australia by 10 wickets in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam was no less than a nightmare for Rohit Sharma’s Team India. The return of the skipper was being seen as a massive boost for the hosts which also drove a huge crowd at the ACA-VDCA stadium in support of the hosts. But it turned out to be Australia’s memorable day out which was highlighted by Mitchell Starc’s five-wicket haul and some cracking fireworks from Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head. By the end of the day, the visitors returned with an equaliser, making the final encounter in Chennai a series decider.
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After being asked to bat first, India suffered the first blow right in the opening over when Starc removed Shubman Gill. Once the youngster was gone, the rest of the batting line-up slumped like a house of cards. 31 was the highest individual score for India, scored by Virat Kohli, as the hosts were bundled out for 117. In reply, Head and Marsh smashed half-centuries and took Australia home in just 11 overs.
The defeat was an eye-opener for India, especially when the team is going to play a world cup this year, that too, at home. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that the batters didn’t apply themselves in the game.
“We didn’t apply ourselves with the bat. Didn’t put enough runs on the board. It wasn’t a 117 wicket. Kept losing wickets and that didn’t allow us to get the runs we wanted,” Rohit Sharma said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Once we lost Shubman in the first over, myself and Virat got 30-35 runs quickly. But then I lost my wicket and we lost a couple of wickets back-to-back. That put us on the back foot. It’s always tough to come back from that situation. Today wasn’t the day for us,” he added.
Apart from the loss, Rohit reserved massive praise for Starc and Marsh.
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“Starc is a quality bowler. He has been doing it for Australia with the new ball. He kept bowling to his strength. Swung the new ball and took the oddball away. Kept the batters guessing,” Rohit said.
“Marsh has to be one of the top players going around when it comes to power-hitting. He backs himself to doing that every now and then. Definitely in the top 3 and 4 when it comes to power-hitting,” he concluded.
India and Australia will now face each other in the third and final encounter on Wednesday in Chennai.
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