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Aus vs Ind | 2nd ODI: What Experts said as classic Smith shines in Aussie' series winning effort

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Australia, led by brilliant knocks from Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell, outdid India twice in three days at the Sydney Cricket Ground to clinch an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. The Indian team found it hard to chase down an imposing target of 390 runs and never looked like achieving it as wickets fell on regular intervals. 

In the end, even after fighting half-centuries by KL Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli, the Men in Blue could manage to reach only 339 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs, thereby losing the game by a huge margin of 51 runs. 

Captains' Viewpoints

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, victorious skipper Aaron Finch called it a perfect performance with the bat from his side. “Anytime you get in the high 300s, (it) is good. Very pleased to wrap it up in two wins." 

David Warner got injured while fielding and providing an update on his situation, Finch revealed that he didn’t have much idea about it but was sure that he would not be available for the next game. “No idea. We've got to reshuffle it around, I don't think he'll be available,” he informed. 

Finch, 33, also praised Warner’s quick innings, saying, “The way Davey played upfront was unbelievable." The captain of the winning team was full of admiration for Steve Smith as well. "Smithy played out of his skin for two matches in a row,” he added, lauding the man who now has five centuries vs India in ODIs, out of a total of 11. 

Talking about the bowling, Finch commented that their bowlers got an idea of how to bowl from Hardik Pandya’s slower ones. “Henriques bowled to a simple plan and changed his pace a lot. As Virat said, we probably got a blueprint with Hardik's bowling. He was really hard to hit with pace off deliveries." 

On the other hand, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli was seen ruing missed opportunities. Especially disappointing for him was the fact that he couldn’t bat till the 40th over alongside Rahul. 

“KL and I thought even 100 in the last ten overs with Hardik to come was achievable. If KL and I had stuck around till the 40th over, we could have put them under pressure. The wicket was beautiful to bat on,” Virat remarked. 

Agreeing that the Indian team was completely outplayed, the skipper reasoned that it was because as a bowling unit, they were unable to execute their plans.  

“I think with the ball, we were not that effective. Didn't hit the areas we wanted to consistently. They've got a strong batting lineup and know the angles. Their total was a bit too steep. If you see, we got 340 and still lost by 51 runs... With the areas they bowled, they were in a position to create chances, and with those chances taken, they were on top,” added Kohli, who scored an 87-ball 89 but couldn’t take the team home.  

Pandya bowled for the first time and Kohli said that he just casually asked the all-rounder whether he could bowl, in one of the mini team conferences, and he agreed. 

“I think he gave away a bit of a bowling plan on this pitch. A lot of them bowled cutters (smiles). His bowling was out of nowhere. I just asked him." 

Expert Opinion


The experts centered their commentary on four main issues including the over rate, Steve Smith's brilliance with the bat, Indian bowling not being able to execute the plans, and most importantly, the Indian batsmen losing the plot under pressure. Vikrant Gupta, a cricket journalist, though, summed up all in one tweet saying that signs are not good for Team India going ahead on the tour. 


On the other hand, a well-known journalist and cricket expert, Ayaz Memon put the blame on the bowlers. This is understandable as, in both the matches, Australian batsmen have taken their team well past the 350-mark quite easily. Also, in neither match, the Indian bowlers have been able to dismiss the Aussie openers in the powerplay.

 


Well-known commentator and one who is respected for his words, Harsha Bhogle, once again brought out a point that went unnoticed by many. He pointed out how the fifth bowler, a combination of Moises Henriques and Glenn Maxwell, a weak link in the Australian lineup, went for just 68 runs in 12 overs in a run chase of 390 runs. 


Gaurav Kalra, as always, was up with his wits, pointing out how Virat Kohli was doing well while others came and went. 



Kalra was once again in the business, this time though, with his commentary on the slow over-rate. Responding to the same tweet, former cricketer turned analyst and cricket pundit Aakash Chopra also got involved and discussed how slow over rates are turning out to be a big boon for the entire series. 


Another comment by Harsha Bhogle, this one on the way Steve Smith has batted throughout the series, was probably the best description attributed to his efforts so far. 



The series now moves on to Canberra with the final match scheduled to be played there. Team India would not only be playing for pride but also some much-needed momentum as well as crucial Cricket World Cup Super League points.

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