MELBOURNE: Australia survived a late scare before riding on skipper Mitchell Marsh’s brisk 46 to clinch a comfortable four-wicket victory over India in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. The win gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing a modest 126, Australia crossed the finish line with 40 balls to spare, thanks to a strong start from Travis Head (28) and Marsh, whose fluent strokeplay set the tone early. Though India’s bowlers managed to pick up a few wickets late in the chase, the result was never in doubt once the hosts seized control in the Powerplay.
Earlier, Josh Hazlewood led Australia’s bowling attack with a superb spell of 3 for 13, ripping through India’s top order and setting up the win. Despite opener Abhishek Sharma’s fighting 68 and Harshit Rana’s 33-ball 35, India were bundled out for 125 in 18.4 overs, struggling to build any substantial partnerships.
Australia’s reply began on a dominant note as Jasprit Bumrah’s third over went for 18 runs, followed by Harshit’s costly fourth, which included two sixes and a no-ball. That double blow handed Australia the momentum, forcing India to introduce spin early.
Varun Chakaravarthy provided the breakthrough with a moment of brilliance from Tilak Varma, who completed a stunning boundary catch to dismiss Head. Marsh, meanwhile, kept attacking anything in his zone, driving and pulling with authority before falling for 46 off 26 balls, his dismissal coming in an over from Kuldeep Yadav that proved both fruitful and expensive, leaking 20 runs.
India fought back briefly through Chakaravarthy, who dismissed Tim David, and Kuldeep, who trapped Josh Inglis and helped trigger a mini-collapse. Bumrah returned to castle Matthew Short and removed Mitchell Owen, but by then, Marcus Stoinis had guided the hosts comfortably home to seal the victory.
Brief Scores: India 125 all out in 18.4 overs (Abhishek Sharma 68, Harshit Rana 35; Josh Hazlewood 3-13, Nathan Ellis 2-21) lost to Australia 126/6 in 13.2 overs (Mitchell Marsh 46, Travis Head 28, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-23, Kuldeep Yadav 2-45) by four wickets.
Agencies