India vs Australia: Smith, Maxwell and Labuschagne power Australia to series win

Steve Smith's second consecutive hundred of the series coupled with useful fifties from Glenn Maxwell and Marnus Labuschagne powered Australia to an ODI series win over India on Sunday.

Published : Nov 29, 2020 17:18 IST

The runs just kept coming for Australia as Steve Smith brought up his second hundred of the three-match ODI series against India.
The runs just kept coming for Australia as Steve Smith brought up his second hundred of the three-match ODI series against India.
lightbox-info

The runs just kept coming for Australia as Steve Smith brought up his second hundred of the three-match ODI series against India.

Virat Kohli (89) and KL Rahul (76) both hit quickfire fifties but in the end, it wasn't enough to prevent India from slumping to a series loss against Australia in Sydney on Sunday. Chasing a gargantuan 390, India fell short by 51 runs.

The visitor got off to a solid start with openers Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan making full use of the Powerplay overs. But their dismissals in quick succession meant the onus was on Kohli to deliver.

 

The Indian skipper didn't disappoint, adding 93 for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer. But just when the two batsmen were starting to free their arms, Moises Henriques got rid of Iyer. But Kohli continued to dominate the opposition attack, bringing up his 59th ODI fifty.

 

However, he was caught 11 shy of a hundred, thanks to Hazlewood. Rahul and Hardik Pandya tried to keep India in the hunt but the chase ran out of steam as Australia took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of three for 67.

Run-fest, again

Earlier, Steven Smith (104) scored a second consecutive hundred in yet another Australian run-fest, as the host racked up its best-ever ODI total at the SCG.

David Warner (83) and Aaron Finch (60) provided the perfect platform with a 142-run opening stand before Smith took charge in the middle overs. Glenn Maxwell added the finishing touches with a brutal 63 off 29 deliveries. He was ably supported by Marnus Labuschagne, who too contributed to the tally with a 61-ball 70.

 

For India, none of the top four bowlers could put a dent in the opposition top-order. While Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah conceded 152 runs in the 19 overs between them, Navdeep Saini went for 70 and did not finish his quota of 10 overs.

Yuzvendra Chahal went for 71 in his 9 while Ravindra Jadeja went wicketless for 60 from his 10. Hardik Pandya, bowling in international cricket for the first time since September 2019, gave 24 off his four overs and picked up the wicket of Smith. The talismanic right-hander was dismissed for a 64-ball 104. Australia collected 114 from the final 10 overs of the innings, cruising to an eventually match-winning total.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment