India Faces Worst Defeat Against Australia Ever, Virat Kohli Only Batter to Look to Composed – On March 19, 2023, at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, India faced off against Australia in the second One Day International (ODI) of their ongoing series. With India having won the first match, the Australians were under immense pressure to deliver and level the series. And deliver they did, in an awe-inspiring display of cricketing prowess that left the Indian team and their fans shell-shocked.
The day started with much excitement and anticipation as both teams took to the field. Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to post a challenging total that their bowlers could defend. However, the Australian bowling attack had other ideas.
India Faces Worst Defeat Against Australia Ever, Virat Kohli Only Batter to Look to Composed – IND vs AUS 2nd ODI 2023
The man who wreaked havoc on the Indian batting line-up was none other than Mitchell Starc, one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He produced a masterclass in new-ball swing bowling that left the Indian batsmen clueless. Starc got deliveries to swing in as well as angle across to the right-hand batters in equal measure. His work up top allowed Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis to join hands and run through the lower middle order thereafter.
Only four India batters reached double-figures after not having answers to Starc’s swing and pace. When Starc got the deliveries to angle across, he tempted Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to drive away from their bodies, only for both to get dismissed cheaply.
Gill was the first to go, out for a duck in the first over, when he chased a full and wide delivery and drove to point, in what was a repeat of his dismissal from the Mumbai ODI. Rohit, returning to the side in place of Ishan Kishan, was out in the fifth over. He had had moved to 13 by relying on leg-side flicks, but then swung big against a wide ball to edge to first slip.
India Faces Worst Defeat Against Australia Ever, Virat Kohli Only Batter to Look to Composed – IND vs AUS 2nd ODI 2023
Suryakumar Yadav walked in looking to make up for his first-ball duck from the first ODI, but he suffered the same fate when Starc swung the ball into him again, and had him lbw for another golden duck. In what was another repeat from the first ODI, KL Rahul came in trying to survive a hat-trick delivery.
He did that successfully, but could not last too much longer. The half-centurion from the previous game was also trapped lbw by Star, on 9, with another inswinging delivery that got him missing a shot across the line.
At 48 for 4, India needed a recovery job, but that wouldn’t come. Abbott got a length ball to bounce a bit more and Hardik Pandya poked at it only to see Steven Smith take a stunning one-handed diving catch at first slip to rock them further. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja tried to resurrect the innings, but they failed as well this time.
India Faces Worst Defeat Against Australia Ever, Virat Kohli Only Batter to Look to Composed – IND vs AUS 2nd ODI 2023
King Kohli’s Dismissal:
Kohli was trapped lbw by Ellis when, on 31, he swiped across the line to a full ball, and didn’t bother reviewing the on-field decision. Ellis then came around the wicket to get Jadeja edging a catch to the wicketkeeper Alex Carey. At 91 for 7, India were on the mat and the crowd was completely silenced.
That India reached triple-digits was because of Axar Patel’s unbeaten 29. He was circumspect at first alongside Kuldeep Yadav as India went past 100. But when Kuldeep and Mohammad Shami fell in quick succession to Abbott, Axar realized the end was coming soon. He smacked Starc for back-to-back sixes but ran out of partners as India got all out for 117.
Australia easily chased down the target with all 10 wickets and 234 balls to spare.
The next match of the series is scheduled on 22nd March, 2023. India will be looking to bounce back there.
