India collapsed to 117 in just 26 overs after the Australian pacer Mitchell Starc he topped the hosts’ order with his five-wicket ninth haul in ODIs.
Starc’s 5/53 set up an easy win for Australia as they came home in just 11 overs. The deciding series will be played on Wednesday in Chennai.
After a lackluster performance with the bat, a disappointed India captain Rohit Sharma did not hesitate to admit batting failure saying the pitch was not meant for 117 and they were not playing to their potential.
We just didn’t apply ourselves with the bat. We always knew it wasn’t enough runs. ‘ said Sharma, who contributed 13 runs from 15 balls.
Rohit also regretted that his side’s formidable batting lineup “kept falling to the force” of Starc instead of playing their natural game in the second ODI.
“Starc is a quality bowler. He did it for years for Australia with the new ball. He kept bowling to his strength and we kept falling under his strength. It’s something we need to understand and play accordingly” Sharma said at the post-match presentation.
Sharma didn’t mince words on the batting bust, saying 117 was by no means a challenging total.
Sharma, who missed India’s five-wicket win in the first ODI due to family commitments, said all the Australians played very well and put the home team under pressure.
Australia captain Steven Smith was surprised by the quick result, which came with 39 overs to spare.
“He was quick. 37 overs for the game (in total), you don’t see that too often,” he said.
“I thought our bowlers were brilliant. Mitchell Starc in particular with that new ball swinging it down the line and putting them (under) early pressure and integrated really well with the rest of our bowling group .
“I didn’t know how the wicket would play and how much it would swing.”
On his chase run and unbeaten run of 121 runs by Australian openers, Smith said: “The way Mitch and Heady came out and chased them was impressive. Putting them (Indian bowlers) under pressure .
“When you chase 118 very fast, you can break it very fast.”
‘Man of the match’ Starc said: “I feel like my pace has been good for a few weeks and I imagine over the last couple of nights I’ve had the ball to shape in the air and do a bit off the wicket. So, there you go.” feels comfortable and hopefully continues.”
(with PTI inputs)
