Australia beat India by 51 runs in the second ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Sydney on Sunday. Steve Smith (104) struck his second successive hundred of the series to set up the home side's win. India captain Virat Kohli played a fighting 89-run knock but, it was not enough after his bowlers conceded 389 runs. KL Rahul contributed with 76 runs. Australia had won the series-opener by 66 runs on Friday. The inconsequential third ODI will be played in Canberra on Wednesday. (SCORECARD | MATCH REPORT| NEWS)
Brief Scores:
Australia: 389 for 4 in 50 overs (Steve Smith 104, David Warner 83, M Labuschagne 70; Hardik Pandya 1/24, Mohammed Shami 1/73).
India: 338 for 9 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 89, KL Rahul 76; Pat Cummins 3/67, Josh Hazlewood 2/59).
Man of the match: Steve Smith
Earlier...
After making a dismal start to their tour, a crisis-ridden India will take on a confident Australian side in the second ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney on Sunday. In the first game, the Aussies humbled India by 66 runs at the iconic venue despite Hardik Pandya's career-best effort with the bat. Virat Kohli's men started exactly on a note they wouldn't have liked, giving away 374 runs in 50 overs, then the batsmen collectively failed, except for Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan. Now, India's battered bowlers will need to find ways to redeem themselves. But the onus will be on the skipper, who managed run-a-ball 21 in the defeat, to lead from the front.
Aye Aye Captain! - Meanwhile, here's our exclusive take on Virat Kohli captaincy.
5:37 PM IST: Virat Kolhi admitted that Australia "outplayed" India. "We were ineffective with the ball, and didn't hit the areas. They have a strong batting line-up, they know the conditions and the angles well. The chase felt steep."
5:33 PM IST: Winning captain Aaron Finch Australia's "perfect performance with the bat", and said: "There was no extra talk or game plan. Very pleased to wrap it up in two games and win the series.
And special praise of peerless Steve Smith, and why not. "Smithy was incredible as usual, and Warner got it off the middle everytime as well." He added, "Moises [Henriques] bowled really well defensively including his cutter, and as Virat [Kohli] said, we got a bit of a blueprint from Hardik [Pandya], by taking the pace off the ball."
5:20 PM IST: Glenn Maxwell with the final over of the over. A single, then Navdeep Saini hit a straight four. Three fours, and Australia won by 51 runs. India got hammered again. Lost the ODIs.
5:17 PM IST: Adam Zampa on with his last over. And trapped Jasprit Bumrah (0 off 2) in front. A wrong'un. Only hitting the middle stump. Yuzvendra Chahal joined Navdeep Saini. A wild swing from Chahal and two runs from the over. IND - 329/9 (49). Need 61 in six balls.
5:14 PM IST: Glenn Maxwell on with his fourth over, and got the wicket of Mohammed Shami with the third ball. More than a caught and bowled. A skier and a brilliant take. Jasprit Bumrah joined Navdeep Saini. Two runs and a wicket from the over. IND - 327/8 (48).
5:11 PM IST: Pat Cummins, on a hat-trick, delivered a wide to Mohammed Shami. But India have run their course. Navdeep Saini is another new man. Four runs from the over. IND - 325/7 (47). India need another 65 in 18 balls.
5:07 PM IST: Wicket!
Then, another one. This time, Hardik Pandya (28 off 31). Caught by Steve Smith. IND - 321/7 (46.2).
5:05 PM IST: Wicket!
Pat Cummins on with his last over. Got the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja (24 off 11) with the first ball. IND - 321/6 (46.1).
5:03 PM IST: Mitchell Starc on with his penultimate over, and got his first wicket. Hardik Pandya holed out. No. Overstepped. No-ball. Free hit. Pandya was on 26 off 29. And Ravindra Jadeja launched the free-hit delivery for a six, over deep mid-wicket. A double, then another maximum as Jadeja flicked it over deep square leg boundary. 18 runs from the over. India need another 69 from 24. IND - 321/5 (46).
4:55 PM IST: Ravindra Jadeja joined Hardik Pandya in the centre. Pat Cummins on with his ninth over. Jadeja hit the first ball for a four. 12 runs from it. Indian need 87 in 30 balls. IND -303/5 (35).
4:47 PM IST: Wicket!
Adam Zampa on with his penultimate over, and got the big wicket of KL Rahul (76 off 66). Caught by Josh Hazlewood. IND - 288/5 (43.4). Need another 102 from 38 balls.
4:44 PM IST: Pat Cummins on with his eighth over. Nine from it, including a four off the third ball, hit by Hardik Pandya. IND - 279/4 (43).
4:39 PM IST: Josh Hazlewood on with his penultimate over. Ten runs from it with KL Rahul hitting the fifth ball for a six, over deep point. Just managing to beat the diving fielder. India need another 120 runs in 48 balls. IND - 270/4 (42).
4:34 PM IST: Stunning over from Pat Cummins. Almost a maiden. A wide spoilt it. Hardik Pandya tries everything, but nothing. IND - 260/4 (41).
4:29 PM IST: Mitchell Starc on with his eighth over. A single off the first ball, then KL Rahul hit the fourth for a four, to deep extra cover. Five runs from the over. India need another 131 runs in 60 balls. IND - 259/4 (40).
4:25 PM IST: Pat Cummins returned for his sixth over. KL Rahul hit the last ball for a six, over deep mid-wicket, and fifty in 52 balls. IND - 254/4 (39). India need 136 more runs in 66 balls.
4:20 PM IST: Mitchell Starc on with his seventh over. Three dots then KL Rahul pulled the fourth for a six. A dot, then a single to end the over. IND - 244/4 (38). India need another 146 off 72 balls.
4:16 PM IST: Josh Hazlewood on with his eighth over. Singles off the third and fourth balls, then Hardik Pandya creamed the last ball for a six over deep mid-wicket. India need another 153 in 78 balls. IND - 237/4 (37).
Here's the latest David Warner injury update.
4:11 PM IST: Hardik Pandya joined KL Rahul in the centre. Adam Zampa produced another very good over. Just four singles from his eighth. IND - 229/4 (36). Need 161 more runs.
4:06 PM IST: Massive wicket!
Josh Hazlewood on with his seventh over, and got the job done! He had Virat Kohli (89 off 87) caught at short mid-wicket by Moises Henriques. Brilliant catch to end India captain's knock. IND - 225/4 (34.5).
4:02 PM IST: Adam Zampa returned for his seventh over. Two singles, then Virat Kohli hit the third ball for a four. Sublime cover drive. Two more singles. IND - 221/3 (34). Need another 169 runs.
3:54 PM IST: Drinks Break
Josh Hazlewood returned for his sixth over. Virat Kohli played the first ball to long-on and ran three. KL Rahul hit the next two balls for fours, then three dots. 11 runs from the over. IND - 214/3 (33).
India need another 176 runs. Kohli-Rahul stand now worth 61 off 59.
3:51 PM IST: Moises Henriques on with his seventh over. KL Rahul hit the fourth ball for a six, over deep square leg. 10 runs from the over. IND - 203/3 (32).
3:46 PM IST: Mitchell Starc continued. Three dots, then a double, followed by a single. Virat Kohli hit the last ball for a four to make it 7-run over. IND - 193/3 (31).
3:42 PM IST: Another brilliant over from Moises Henriques. Just a single, off the fourth ball. IND - 186/3 (30). India need 204 in 120 balls.
3:38 PM IST: Mitchell Starc on with his fifth over. Just three singles. IND - 185/3 (29). India need another 205 runs. Asking rate is almost 10 an over.
3:34 PM IST: Moises Henriques on with his fifth over. Virat Kohli hit the first ball for a four, to square leg boundary. Six runs from the over. IND - 182/3 (28). Need 208 more runs.
3:30 PM IST: Mitchell Starc returned for his fourth over. Virat Kohli welcomed back him with a six, flicked over deep square leg. Beauty. KL Rahul ended the over with a four, through cover. Classic. 13 runs from the over. IND - 176/3 (27).
3:24 PM IST: Wicket-taker Moises Henriques continued. Just three singles from his fourth over. IND - 163/3 (26).
3:21 PM IST: KL Rahul joined skipper Virat Kohli. Adam Zampa on with his sixth over. Four singles from it. IND - 160/3 (25). Need more 230 runs.
3:13 PM IST: Wicket!
Shreyas Iyer departs after hitting 38 off 36. Wicket to Moises Henriques. Brilliantly caught by Steve Smith at mid-wicket. IND - 153/3 (23.1)
3:11 PM IST: Adam Zampa continued. 13 runs from his fifth over. Shreyas Iyer hit the second ball for a four, then Virat Kohli reached his fifty with a four, off the fourth. IND - 153/2 (23).
3:08 PM IST: Another Glenn Maxwell over. And nine from it, including a four. Virat Kohli hit the third ball to backward square boundary. IND - 140/2 (22).
3:05 PM IST: Adam Zampa returned for his fourth over. Five from it. IND - 131/2 (21). Need another 259 runs.
3:02 PM IST: Glenn Maxwell continued. Busy over. Shreyas Iyer hit the fourth ball for a four, a reverse sweep, over backward point. 10 runs from the over. IND - 126/2 (20)
Iyer (30 off 29) and Virat Kohli (35 off 42) have added 66 in 69 for the third wicket.
2:59 PM IST: Moises Henriques continued. And just four singles. IND -116/2 (19). Indian need another 274 runs. Asking rate nearing nine an over.
2:55 PM IST: Double bowling change. Glenn Maxwell on with his off spin. Tidy one from the part-timer. Four singles. IND - 112/2 (18).
2:52 PM IST: Bowling change right after Drinks. Moises Henriques on. And seven runs -- six singles and a wide. IND - 108/2 (17).
2:47 PM IST: 100 up for India. Adam Zampa on with his third over. Three singles. Virat Kohli (24 off 29) and Shreyas Iyer (17 off 18) stitched 41 for the third wicket. IND - 101/2 (16).
And Drinks!
2:44 PM IST: Pat Cummins on with his fifth over. Virat Kohli hit the first and third balls for four. Nine from the over. IND - 98/2 (15).
2:40 PM IST: Adam Zampa continued. Shreyas Iyer hit a sublime shot, cut between backward point and short third fielders, for a four off the fifth ball. Five runs from the over. IND - 89/2 (14).
2:36 PM IST: Pat Cummins continued. Massive moment. Virat Kohli hit the third ball for a six, over fine leg. Then the finger for LBW. Kohli straightaway reviewed and survived. He was on 12. Seven runs from the over. IND - 84/2 (13).
2:32 PM IST: Bowling change. Adam Zampa on. Three singles then Shreyas Iyer hit the last ball for a four to deep mid-wicket. Seven runs from the over. IND - 77/2 (12).
2:29 PM IST: Pat Cummins continued. Brilliant over. Just three runs and a half chance against Shreyas Iyer off the last ball. Iyer almost played back to the bowler. IND - 70/2 (11).
2:24 PM IST: Shreyas Iyer joined Virat Kohli in the centre. And another tidy over from Josh Hazlewood. Six runs despite Shreyas Iyer hitting the second ball for a four. IND - 67/2 (10).
2:16 PM IST: Another wicket!
Virat Kohli is the new man. And a beauty from Pat Cummins to Mayank Agarwal start the next over. Almost got a nick. Then, it happened. Faintest of nicks to send Agarwal (28 off 26) back. IND - 60/2 (8.3).
02:11 PM IST: Wicket!
Then, first wicket down. Shikhar Dhawan (30 off 23) holed out at mid-wicket. Wicket to Josh Hazlewood. IND - 58/1 (7.4)
02:08 PM IST: Bowling change. Pat Cummins on. Mayank Agarwal hit the first and third balls for fours. IND - 55/0 (7).
02:03 PM IST: Another good over for India. Ten runs from Josh Hazlewood's third over, including a four off the fourth, hit by Shikhar Dhawan to deep mid-wicket. IND - 47/0 (6).
01:58 PM IST: Mitchell Starc on with his third over, and leaked 16 runs as Shikhar Dhawan hit fours off the last three balls. IND - 37/0 (5).
01:53 PM IST: Josh Hazlewood continued. Tidy over, just four runs. But Aussies lost David Warner. He landed hard on the ground while stopping the ball. He's off the field. IND - 21/0 (4).
01:48 PM IST: Mitchell Starc continued. Rare misfield from Steve Smith at backward point to allow Mayank Agarwal to sneak a couple off the second ball. Another couple off the fourth, and five runs from the over. IND - 17/0 (3).
01:43 PM IST: Josh Hazlewood shared the new ball with Mitchell Starc. Shikhar Dhawan hit the first ball for a four, punched through cover. The left-handed batsman then blocked the next five balls. IND - 12/0 (2).
01:39 PM IST: Mitchell Starc with the new ball. Mayank Agarwal hit the first and third balls for fours. Sumptuous timing. IND - 8/0.
01:33 PM IST: Players are out for the second half of the match. Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal to open for India. Meanwhile, read innings report HERE.
01:16 PM IST: Batting first, Australia set a 390-run target for India. They won the first ODI at the same venue by 66 runs. Steve Smith struck his second successive hundred of the series for the home side.
Brief Scores:
Australia: 389/4 in 50 overs (Steve Smith 104, David Warner 83, Aaron Finch 60, Marnus Labuschagne 70, Glenn Maxwelll 63 not out, Hardik Pandya 1/24, Mohammed Shami 1/73).
01:05 PM IST: Navdeep Saini on with the last over of the innings. Glenn Maxwell given caught behind, but overturned upon review. Maxwell then reached his fifty with a double off the second ball in 25 balls. It was followed by back-to-back sixes, both deposited at deep mid-wicket. Someone in the crowd took a tumbling catch. A dot ball, then a single to end the innings. AUS - 389/4, with 63 coming in the last five. Saini's figures: 7-0-70-0.
12:59 PM IST: WICKET!
Finally, a wicket for Jasprit Bumrah. He had Marnus Labuschagne (70 off 61) caught at mid-off by Mayank Agarwal. Moises Henriques joined Glenn Maxwell. Ten runs from Bumrah's last over. His figures: 10-1-79-1. AUS - 374/4 (49).
12:53 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his penultimate over, and 13 runs from it. Glenn Maxwell hit the last two balls for fours. 57 runs in the last five overs, and Maxwell has added 72 (40) with Marnus Labuschagne for the fourth wicket. AUS - 364/3 (48).
12:49 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his penultimate over. A six to start with as Glenn Maxwell lots it over extra cover with some disdain. 12 from the over. AUS - 351/3 (47).
12:42 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his eighth over. And Glenn Maxwell pulled the third ball for a six. Lusty hitting. 13 runs from the over. AUS - 339/3 (46).
12:38 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah returned for his eighth over. Busy over, three doubles then a four from Marnus Labuschagne's bat to end the 12-run over. 51 runs and one wicket in the last five overs. AUS - 326/3 (45).
12:32 PM IST: Hardik Pandya continued. Marnus Labuschagne dropped off the first ball by Ravindra Jadeja at long-off, and the next ball, the Aussie batsman reached his fifty. Seven runs from the over. AUS - 314/3 (44).
12:28 PM IST: Ravindra Jadeja completed his spell. 11 from the tenth as Glenn Maxwell hit the last two balls for fours. Jadeja's figures: 10-0-60-0. AUS - 307/3 (43).
12:24 PM IST: Wicket!
Hardik Pandya did the trick for India. A slow, widish delivery to send Steve Smith (104 off 64) back. Caught behind. Glenn Maxwell joined Marnus Labuschagne in the centre. Eight runs and a wicket. AUS - 296/3 (42).
12:18 PM IST: Steve Smith masterclass on show. Reached hundred in just 62 balls. 13 runs from Yuzvendra Chahal's ninth over, including a six off the second. AUS - 288/2 (41).
12:12 PM IST: Absolute masterclass from Steve Smith. He's toying with Jasprit Bumrah. Hit the first two balls for fours as if he's playing street cricket. Nonchalant. And it's not over. He flicked the fifth ball to square leg for another four. 13 runs from the over. AUS - 275/2 (40).
12:07 PM IST: Mohammed Shami returned for his seventh over. Steve Smith hit the first and fifth balls for fours as his stand with Marnus Labuschagne crossed the 100-run mark. 12 runs from the over. AUS - 262/2 (39).
12:02 PM IST: Hardik Pandya continued. Another tidy over. Four runs from it. AUS - 250/2 (38).
11:58 AM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal on with his eighth over. Marnus Labuschagne hit the fourth for a four, to deep mid-wicket. Then, Steve Smith got his eighth boundary with a mishit, to deep square leg. 11 runs from the over. The stand now worth 90 in 69. 43 runs in the last five. AUS - 246/2 (37).
11:53 AM IST: Now, the seventh bowler! Hardik Pandya got an over for the first time since last September. And a tidy one. Just five runs. AUS - 235/2 (36).
11:48 AM IST: Virat Kohli just unveiled India's sixth bowler, in Mayank Agarwal. And the part-time spinner leaked ten runs with Steve Smith hitting the last two balls for fours. AUS - 230/2 (35).
11:45 AM IST: Navdeep Saini returned, and conceded 11 runs, helping Steve Smith reach another fifty, in just 38 balls. Marnus Labuschagne also getting started. Third-wicket stand now worth 64 in 51. AUS - 220/2 (34).
Record alert: Smith became the second player to hit five successive 50+ scores in ODIs against India after Kane Williamson in 2014.
Drinks!
11:36 AM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal on with his seventh over. Leaked six runs. 41 runs in the last five overs. AUS -209/2 (33).
11:32 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja on with his penultimate over. Six from it -- four singles and a double. AUS - 203/2 (32).
11:29 AM IST: Navdeep Saini returned for his fifth over, and leaked 10 runs as Steve Smith hit the last two balls for fours. AUS - 197/2 (31).
11:25 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja continued. 14 runs from his eighth over as Steve Smith hit a four, off the second, and six off the fifth. AUS - 187/2 (30).
11:20 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued. Five singles from his sixth over. His figures so far -- 6-1-33-0. AUS - 173/2 (29).
11:16 AM IST: Another good over from Ravindra Jadeja. Four runs from his seventh -- a double and two singles. AUS - 168/2 (28).
11:13 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah returned. Steve Smith hit the first ball for a four, to third man. Then three singles. AUS - 164/2 (27).
11:09 AM IST: WICKET!
Brilliant throw and David Warner (83 off 77) walked. Steve Smith played the third ball of the 26th over, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, over the bowler. Then, Shreyas Iyer hit the wickets at non-striker's end. Warner found himself well short. Marnus Labuschagne joined Smith. AUS - 157/2 (26).
11:04 AM IST: Wicket-taker Mohammed Shami continued. New man Steve Smith hit the fourth ball for a four, through mid-on. Eight runs from the over. AUS - 153/1 (25).
11: AM IST: Steven Smith joined David Warner in the centre. And another quick over from Ravindra Jadeja. Just three singles. AUS - 142/1 (23).
Meanwhile, New Zealand have defeated the Windies by 72 runs in the second T20I, and took the series.
10:56 AM IST: WICKET!
Finally, the breakthrough. Virat Kohli brought back Mohammed Shami, and the pacer repaid the skipper's faith by removing Aaron Finch (60 off 69). AUS - 142/1 (22.5).
A fullish delivery and Finch tried to flick but mistimed it, giving an easy catch to his opposite number.
10:51 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja on with his fourth over. Six runs from it. AUS - 136/0 (22).
10:48 AM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal continued, and this time, he leaked 13 runs. David Warner hit the third ball for a four, to backward square leg. Then, Aaron Finch hit the last ball for a six, over deep mid-wicket, to bring up his fifty, in 60 balls. AUS - 130/0 (21).
10:43 AM IST: Indian spinner rushing through. Another quick over from Ravindra Jadeja. Two singles. AUS - 117/0 (20).
10:40 AM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal kept it tight. Just two single from his fifth over. 22 runs in the last five overs. AUS - 115/0 (19).
10:37 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja on with his second over. Four singles. AUS - 113/0 (18).
10:34 AM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal continued. David Warner hit the fourth ball for a six, over long-on. Eight runs from the over. AUS - 109/0 (17).
10:31 AM IST: Another bowling change for India. Ravindra Jadeja on. Three singles and a three, off the last ball. Certainly not a rarity to run three here. Six runs from the over. Hundred up for the hosts. AUS - 101/0 (16).
And fifth 100+ partnership for Aaron Finch and David Warner against India.
10:26 AM IST: Breakthrough for India, almost! Yuzvendra Chahal on with his third over, and David Warner wanted a quick single but sent back, and KL Rahul dismantled the wickets from a Shreyas Iyer throw. Warner just made it. Two singles from the over. AUS - 95/0 (15). And DRINKS.
10:21 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah returned for his fourth over, and leaked 12 runs as Aaron Finch hit the third and fifth balls for fours. AUS - 93/0 (14).
10:16 AM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal continued. Four singles from his second over. AUS - 81/0 (13).
10:13 AM IST: Navdeep Saini on with his fourth over. The pacer hit Aaron Finch with a no ball on the tummy and everybody has a hearty laugh even as the Aussie skipper braved the pain. Four off the last ball, to fine leg with Finch getting a lucky hook. Six runs from the over. AUS - 77/0 (12).
10:06 AM IST: Bowling change. Spin on. Belligerent David Warner welcomed him with a six, then a four. The Aussi opener reached his fifty in 39 balls, with a single off the fifth ball. 12 runs from the over. AUS - 71/0 (11).
10:02 AM IST: Virat Kohli persisted with Navdeep Saini, and the pacer almost provided the breakthrough - twice. First, Aaron Finch failed to control his shot and the ball landed just short of Jadeja at backward point, off the third ball. Two balls later, beauty of a yorker to David Warner. Seven runs from the over. AUS - 59/0 (10).
And with that, India have gone wicketless in the first Powerplay for the fifth successive ODI -- 54/0 vs New Zealand at Hamilton, 52/0 vs NZ at Auckland, 65/0 vs NZ at Mount Maunganui, 51/0 and 59/0 vs Australia at Sydney.
9:57 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his third over. Just two runs -- one wide and a single. His figures so far -- 3-1-9-0. AUS - 52/0 (9).
9:52 AM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his fourth over. David Warner hit the last two balls for fours, and fifty up for Australia. Nine from the over. AUS - 50/0 (8)
9:47 AM IST: David Warner continued to toy with Navdeep Saini. The Aussie opener hit the third and fifth balls for fours. 12 from the over. AUS - 41/0 (7).
9:42 AM IST: Change of ends for Mohammed Shami. Singles off the last two deliveries. Brilliant over. AUS - 29/0 (6)
9:36 AM IST: Bowling change, and Navdeep Saini got a rowdy welcome. David Warner pulled the first ball for a six. But the pacer did well to limit the damage. Nine runs from the over. AUS - 27/0 (5)
9:31 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued, and leaked eight runs, including a four off the fifth, hit by Aaron Finch to fine leg boundary. AUS - 18/0 (4).
9:26 AM IST: Another tidy over from Mohammed Shami. Six runs as David Warner took doubles off the first two balls. AUS - 10/0 (3).
9:21 AM IST: Brilliant start from Jasprit Bumrah, to Aaron Finch.
9:17 AM IST: Eventful first over from Mohammed Shami. After two dots, David Warner hit the third ball for a four. Then, Shami responded with a couple of dots, including a shout for LBW, off the fifth. Another dot to end the over. AUS - 4/0.
9:10 AM IST: Mohammed Shami with the new ball. And as usual, David Warner and Aaron Finch opening for the Aussies.
9:08 AM IST: India's record is not good in Sydney, despite the venue carrying a reputation of being spin-friendly. In 21 matches, the record is 5 to 15 in favour of the Aussies, with one no result.
9:05 AM IST: Elsewhere, a certain Glenn Phillips hits a 51-ball 108 as New Zealand set a massive 239-run target for the Windies at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. His knock featured 10 fours and eight sixes.
9:00 AM IST: At the toss, Kohli said that India were "bit rusty in the first game, no excuses.". India skipper added, "We have played enough 50 over cricket to pull up professionally. After the 30 over mark, the bodies started to stiffen up a little bit as we have not played a long game for a while. The guys have understood what we need to do right today."
Aussie skipper Finch reckoned that "the wicket was pretty good to be fair, got better with a bit of dew. Today, the wicket can get drier and slower as the game goes on."
8:51 AM IST: Here are the playing XIs
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohl (c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.
8:48 AM IST: TOSS! Aaron Finch wins the toss and Australia will bat first. India are unchanged. One change for the Aussies, with Moises Henriques replacing injured Marcus Stoinis.
8:39 AM IST: Here's the first glimpse of the venue
With no back-up all-rounders or a plan B in place, India will have to execute their plan A perfectly. That leaves Kohli with bowlers who can't bat and a top-order where none can bowl. Kohli did bowl an over or two but that is history as far as the skipper is concerned.
With Australia's top three -- captain Finch, David Warner and Smith -- hitting the straps right away, Jasprit Bumrah and company will have no option but to pick up the pieces and give a better account of themselves on a strip that promises to be a belter.
Skipper Kohli, the man who is revered by the Australian team, media and public at large, would love to play a signature ODI knock, glimpses of which were on display during his 21 in the first ODI.
"From the batting point of view, we had a chat briefly after the game - all of us committed to playing positively and that's why you saw everyone go out there and play with intent," Kohli had said after the match.
