Australia sealed a comfortable four-wicket victory over India in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. After being asked to bat first under cloudy skies, Indian batting faltered once again as Josh Hazlewood led the Australian attack with figures of 3 for 13.Despite the early collapse, Abhishek Sharma produced a valiant 68 off 37 balls, while Harshit Rana provided strong support with 35 off 33 balls. The duo added 56 runs for the sixth wicket to take India from 49 for 5 to a total of 125 in 18.4 overs. Hazlewood struck early, dismissing Shubman Gill for 5 before Nathan Ellis trapped Sanju Samson in front for 2. Suryakumar Yadav’s lean run with the bat continued, edging Hazlewood to wicketkeeper Josh Inglis for 1. Tilak Varma and Axar Patel fell soon after, leaving India reeling at 32/4 in the powerplay. Abhishek hit back with a series of boundaries, targeting both pace and spin, but his dismissal off Ellis in the 18th over ended India’s hopes of a late surge. Rana’s constant contribution moved the scoreboard forward before being caught by Xavier Bartlett. India’s innings ended soon after with Bumrah running out. Chasing 126, Australia got off to a good start with captain Mitchell Marsh leading the way. Marsh smashed 46 off 26 balls, including two boundaries and four sixes, setting the tone for a brisk chase. Travis Head added 28 before falling to Varun Chakaravarthy, who finished with 2 for 23. Tilak Varma’s crisp catch near the ropes to dismiss Head drew comparisons with Suryakumar Yadav’s iconic catch in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. However, that was most of what India had to celebrate as the hosts’ efforts on the field could not change the course of the match.
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Should India reconsider their batting strategy after this match?
Australia reached the target in 13.2 overs, finishing at 126 for 6. Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets late in the innings, while Tim David and Josh Inglis also fell to the Indian spinners. With the win, Australia took a 1-0 lead in the series, leaving India to reflect on missed opportunities and a disappointing batting performance in difficult conditions.
