India vs Australia, Live Score 2nd ODI: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni Anchor India To Victory; India Level Series 1-1
Live Score: India vs Australia 2nd ODI: India suffered a 34-run defeat in the series-opener in Sydney on Saturday.
 India rode on skipper Virat Kohli's century and stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's controlled fifty to beat Australia by six wickets in the second ODI and level the three-match ODI rubber 1-1 here on Tuesday. Chasing a competitive 299, the tourists banked on a collective batting effort from the top order, before a 82-run fourth wicket stand between Kohli (104) and Dhoni (55 not out) ensured the team's win with four balls to spare. Earlier, the Aussies rode on the batting heroics of Shaun Marsh (131) and Glenn Maxwell (48) to post 298/9 even after the Indian pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami shared 7 wickets between them. (SCORECARD)
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Earlier in the day, Australia rode on a laborious century from Shaun Marsh in energy sapping conditions to post a competitive 298/9. Coming in as early as the eighth over of the innings, Marsh had to battle the 42 degree heat to get to his 7th ODI century and the second versus the Men-in-Blue even as most of the other Aussie batsmen failed to convert their starts on a batting track. Marsh, who struck 11 fours and 3 sixes in his 123-ball 131, was instrumental in rebuilding the Aussie innings that saw him sharing half-century stands with Usman Khawaja (56 for the third wicket), Peter Handscomb (52 for the fourth), Marcus Stoinis (55 for the fifth) and Glenn Maxwell (94 for the sixth).
Electing to bat, Australia's start went off-track after both the openers -- Aaron Finch (6) and Alex Carey (18) departed in successive overs bringing Marsh and Khawaja (21) together. Khawaja looked in good nick during his 23-ball knock, helping the Aussies get back on track until Ravindra Jadeja's brilliance on the field cut short his stay. New man Peter Handscomb, the top-scorer for the hosts in the first ODI, then joined Marsh to add another vital 52 runs before being undone by MS Dhoni, who stumped the right-hander for 20 from 22 balls off Jadeja.
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis (29) was then promoted ahead of the swashbuckling Glenn Maxwell and the former responded in style with a flashy 36-ball 29 before getting a bottom edge while attempting to pull a short ball from Mohammed Shami. It was the 37th over and with a well set Marsh nearing his ton at the other end, the stage was set for the explosive Maxwell to power Australia to a massive score.
Maxwell blasted his way to a 37-ball 48, laced with five boundaries and a six and went on to almost take the game away from the Indians with his 94-run stand with Marsh, who also start pressing the accelerator after reaching the three-figure mark. Comfortably placed at 283/5 by the 47th over, India's death over specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar then produced a magical spell that saw the Aussies lose four wickets in a span of just four runs. Bhuvneshwar brought India back with the wickets of Maxwell and Marsh in a span of three deliveries before Mohammed Shami also struck with the wicket of Jhye Richardson (2). Bhuvneshwar then packed off tailender Peter Siddle for a duck even as Nathan Lyon struck a four and a six in the final over to take the total to 298/9.
For the visitors, Bhuvneshwar starred with the ball picking up four wickets, while Shami also contributed well with three scalps.
Besides the excellent run out of Khawaja, left-arm spinner Jadeja also picked up one wicket even as Mohammed Siraj had a forgettable debut leaking 76 runs off his 10 overs.
(With IANS inputs)
India Cricket Team
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India vs Australia 2nd ODI Live
Sydney went to the Aussies, Adelaide goes to the Indians. We are all square at 1-1 and there is all to play for in the final game at the MCG. That one will begin at 1320 local (0220 GMT) on the 18th January, Friday. Take care and see you for that one. Cheers!
India's skipper is also the Man of the Match. He is very pleased with the overall effort and says that to get the wickets of Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession at the death was crucial which meant they were not chasing 330. Praises Bhuvneshwar Kumar and adds that he brought back the whole team into the game. States that Vijay Shankar is in the squad and that gives them the option but he is not too keen on changing the winning combination. Feels that his bowlers did pretty well. On his innings, Virat says he tries to get into the zone whenever there is a target on the board. Adds that the whole idea was to keep things simple and also take calculative risks. Hopes to keep helping the team. Further says that it was a really tough day with the conditions being too hot and they need a good day rest. On MS Dhoni, Kohli says that there is no doubt that he should be a part of this team. Praises him and says that he calculates the game so well and today was an MS classic. Mentions about the contribution of Karthik as well who showed the right kind of intent.
Australia's captain, Aaron Finch says that they hung in really well and praises India for their batting. Feels they needed to keep taking wickets but ran into that man Dhoni. Praises MSD for timing his innings and credits India for playing well and calls it a good game of cricket. Mentions that they need to get their batting in the first Powerplay right and admits he is responsible for that and needs to start scoring. Further adds that he is trying to get the best out of the players and as a captain he needs to be consistent with his action. Lauds Shaun Marsh for his century under brutal conditions. On managing his bowlers, Finch replies that it would have been nice to have Jhye Richardson bowl at the death. States that it's tough against experienced batsmen and reckons there are lots of positive for them. Looking forward to MCG and hopes to win the series there.
Coming to Australia's batting inning earlier, it was mainly revolved around Shaun Marsh's 131 which powered the total to 298. It was eventually about 10-20 short as it proved to be. A point to be considered could also be the last 3 overs of the Australian batting innings which yielded only 17 runs. Made all the difference in the end. Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony!
Virat though continued playing as he normally does in chases and was involved in two more fifty-plus stands, first with Ambati Rayudu and then with MS Dhoni. He reached his 39th ODI century but fell short after getting there. When he fell, a further 57 were required but Dinesh Karthik joined hands with the former India skipper and took the Indians over the line, going all the way to the last over. A very important factor in the chase was the running between the wickets as the Indians ran the field ragged. MSD was a little cramped up in the end but finished stuff with a trademark six that shows the fighting spirit of the man. For the Aussies, no bowler made a great show but none was very poor either. Just a good game of cricket in the end and India just about played better than Australia to level the series 1-1.
So that should settle the debate on whether Dhoni still has it in him or not. He has proved exactly why he is so important to the team going into the World Cup. Got his second consecutive fifty and took India to victory. The chase though, was more than just about Dhoni. It started off really solidly with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan adding 47 for the first wicket before the latter perished to an unnecessary shot. The former though was joined in the middle by the skipper Virat Kohli and what followed was a lovely display of batting where runs were being milked easily till Rohit holed out at deep mid-wicket.
INDIA WIN BY 6 WICKETS! Quietly does the job with a run. Nothing fancy. Full and around off, Dhoni plays it with soft hands towards wide mid on for a quick single as the fielder misses his shy at the bowler's end. No pressure. Nothing. Job done. Dhoni shows no emotions. All is well. India have levelled the series 1-1!
SIX! Vintage Dhoni! A touch short in length around off, Dhoni unleashes all his power behind it and muscles it handsomely over long on for a maximum. The crowd has gone bonkers. 69th ODI fifty for MS Dhoni. It also reminds us of an ODI in 2012 in Adelaide when MS Dhoni hit a biggie off McKay on the third ball of the last over and won India the game from there. Scores are levelled here!
Jason Behrendorff to bowl the final over. MS Dhoni on strike...
In the air... but lands safely in front of the long on fielder. A length ball, Dhoni goes for the big one, doesn't connect too well and is lucky as it lands before the fielder. Single taken. 9 off this over. Stoinis finishes with 1/46 off his 9 overs. India just need 7 off the last one.