Australia has decisively clinched the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against India, securing a 2-0 lead with a two-wicket victory in Adelaide. This defeat marks India’s first loss at Adelaide Oval in 17 years, ending a remarkable unbeaten run at the venue.
While India showed a marked improvement compared to their performance in the first ODI, the morning conditions at Adelaide strongly favored the bowlers. The Australian pace attack found significant swing and seam movement, making scoring difficult for the Indian batsmen.
After winning the toss, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh elected to bowl first. The formidable trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Xavier Bartlett exploited the conditions expertly, causing early trouble for India’s top order. Captain Shubman Gill departed cheaply, and star batsman Virat Kohli suffered another duck, adding pressure to the innings.
However, opener Rohit Sharma displayed resilience, weathering the early storm to try and build momentum. He was eventually dismissed after a hard-fought 73 runs. Shreyas Iyer provided crucial support, contributing a valuable 61 runs and forming a strong 118-run partnership for the third wicket with Sharma.
Mitchell Starc was the man to break this threatening stand, removing Rohit. Adam Zampa then delivered quick blows, cleaning up Shreyas Iyer (61 runs off 77 balls) and dismissing KL Rahul in rapid succession. Axar Patel played a decent knock, but a lack of support from Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy meant India struggled to maintain their scoring rate.
Losing momentum after Iyer’s dismissal, India found themselves in a precarious position at 226/8 in the death overs. However, a spirited fightback from Harshit Rana, who scored an unbeaten 24 off 18 balls, and Arshdeep Singh, adding 13 off 14, forged a crucial 37-run ninth-wicket stand, enabling India to post a competitive total of 264/9 in their allotted 50 overs.
For Australia, Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with excellent figures of 4/60. Xavier Bartlett also impressed with 3/39, while Mitchell Starc claimed 2/62. Josh Hazlewood, despite going wicketless, was highly economical, conceding only 29 runs in his 10 overs.
Australia’s chase began cautiously. Openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh took their time to settle. Marsh was the first to fall, followed by Head, both dismissed by Harshit Rana. Matt Short and Matthew Renshaw then stabilized the innings, finding timely boundaries to keep Australia in contention. India’s fielding faltered, dropping Short twice, allowing him to reach a well-deserved fifty.
After Short’s departure, Mitchell Owen attempted to accelerate the scoring, while Cooper Connolly showcased remarkable composure, batting like a seasoned campaigner to reach his maiden ODI fifty. Despite losing quick wickets towards the end, including Xavier Bartlett and Owen, Connolly held his nerve to guide Australia over the finish line, sealing a memorable series win.