Australia Beat India by 4 Wickets in 2nd T20I at MCG, Take 1–0 Lead in Series

The Australians showed their superiority over India by winning the second T20I by 4 wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday, with skipper Mitchell Marsh unleashing a stormy knock of 46 off 26 balls. The Indian bowlers managed a courageous fight, but ultimately fell short of defending a meagre total. Australia now lead the five-match series 1-0 since the first game was washed out.

Highlights

Mitchell Marsh's explosive 46 ran in crisp and clean chases for Australia.

However, Abhishek Sharma came into his own with a dogged 68, as India collapsed for 125.

After the MCG victory, Australia now leads the five-match T20I series 1-0.

🇮🇳 Batting Collapse of India

Deciding to go in first after losing the toss, India had a disastrous begin from the start. The Australian pace duo of Josh Hazlewood (3/13) and Nathan Ellis (2/21) picked apart India's top order, bringing India down to 47/4 during the powerplay.

Abhishek Sharma continued his lone-battle act to return a majestic 68 off 37 balls, including the hitting of six fours and four sixes. The youngster Harshit Rana (35 off 33) batted through to hold some lower-order resistance, while the rest of the lineup failed dismally at the crease. India, eventually, were bowled out in 18.4 overs for 125, which is really a below-par score considering this ground turns almost all the time.

🇦🇺 Australia’s Dominant Chase

Chasing 126, Travis Head (28 off 15) and Mitchell Marsh made a brilliant 51 runs in 4.3 overs. Marsh went berserk with four sixes and two fours in his usual aggressive manner that kept the Indian team on the back foot.

The spinners, Varun Chakaravarthy (2/23) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/45), did take some wickets in middle overs, but Australia never seemed to be in any trouble; they reached the target in 13.2 overs, 126/6, with Marcus Stoinis (6)* and Xavier Bartlett (0)* seeing out the last few deliveries.

Bowling Highlights for the Indians

Even in defeat, there was barely a glimpse of finer qualities shown by the bowlers for India:

Bumrah (2/26) was difficult to get away, pitching in with pinpoint accuracy. Some of those yorkers even shaped away from the batsmen.

Varun Chakaravarthy (2/23) cleaned up Travis Head and Tim David, thus keeping things tight through the middle overs.

The other bowlers just never found their rhythm, leaving the Indians little room to defend a small target.

Score Summary

India (125 all out in 18.4 overs)

Abhishek Sharma – 68 (37)

Harshit Rana – 35 (33)

Josh Hazlewood – 3/13 (4)

Nathan Ellis – 2/21 (3.4)

Xavier Bartlett – 2/39 (4)

Australia (126/6 in 13.2 Overs)

Mitchell Marsh – 46 (26)

Travis Head – 28 (15)

Josh Inglis – 20 (20)

Varun Chakaravarthy – 2/23 (4)

Jasprit Bumrah – 2/26 (4)

Key Moments

Powerplay Carnage: Marsh and Head, with their brutal stroke play, put paid to any early hopes the Indians had.

Spin Fightback: Varun and Kuldeep tried to rally by striking with wickets.

Hazlewood’s Spell: The precision with the new ball truly set the tone for the Australian victory.

Heartfelt Tribute at MCG

The moment of silence was observed at the ground from the teams in memory of Ben Austin, a 17-year-old cricketer who tragically passed away during the early days of the week in Melbourne. The players donned black armbands while the 90,000-strong crowd gave a standing ovation for this moving moment that united both teams beyond the realm of sport.

Next In Line?

With this win, Australia now leads the series 1-0. The third T20I will be played at Adelaide on the 3rd of November, wherein Team India would hope to bounce back so as to square the series, and some changes in the batting order are expected while India try and resolve their top-order woes.