Too many experiments? A rare off day with the bat? India’s think tank and batting unit endured a night to forget at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, 31 October. Sent in to bat, India were bundled out for just 125, failing even to occupy the crease for their full quota of 20 overs. Australia made light work of the modest target, chasing it down with 40 balls and four wickets to spare, courtesy of captain Mitchell Marsh’s 26-ball 46 and Travis Head’s brisk start at the top.
For the first time since 2008, India slumped to a T20I defeat at the MCG, bringing their four-match winning run at the iconic venue to an abrupt end. It was a comprehensive performance from Australia, who outplayed India in all three departments in a match that lasted only 13.2 overs of their innings.
Josh Hazlewood demonstrated once again why he is rated among the finest T20I bowlers in the world, claiming three wickets in a devastating opening spell that shredded the Indian top order. Playing his final game of the series before returning to preparations for the Ashes, Hazlewood rattled Suryakumar Yadav and his men on an overcast evening, getting the new ball to zip past uncertain bats.
AUS vs IND 2nd T20I Highlights
In contrast, India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah struggled to extract any assistance from the surface later in the night, allowing Marsh and Head to get off to a flying start. Harshit Rana, selected ahead of Arshdeep Singh, contributed with the bat but proved expensive with the ball after being asked to share the new ball duties. The Kolkata Knight Riders pacer conceded 27 runs in his first two overs, allowing Australia to seize early control of the chase.
Harshit, promoted to bat at No. 7 after showcasing his batting prowess in an ODI in Adelaide earlier this month, stitched together India’s biggest partnership of the innings with Abhishek Sharma (56 off 47). Coming together at 49 for 5, the pair added vital runs to stem the collapse. Harshit scored a fighting 35 off 33, but whether his bowling struggles outweighed his batting contributions will be part of the tactical post-mortem for India’s think tank.
Bumrah struck twice in as many balls in his final over, though by then the contest was all but decided. One of his deliveries – a searing yorker that uprooted Matthew Short’s stumps – was a reminder of his class, albeit a touch too late to influence the result.
Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav claimed two wickets apiece, but their efforts were not enough to bring India back into the contest after Marsh and Head’s blistering 51-run opening stand in just 29 deliveries. India simply did not have the runs to exert scoreboard pressure on the hosts, who coasted to the target to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
After the washed-out opening T20I in Canberra, Australia’s dominant display in Melbourne was a statement of intent — one that left the Indian supporters at a sold-out MCG disappointed and subdued.
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