3 mistakes that cost India the 2nd ODI against Australia

Australia battered India in the 2nd ODI as Virat Kohli and the team failed to stand against the unassailable Aussies. They smashed 389 runs in 50 overs at the loss of 4 wickets. Australia crossed the 350 marks again as Smith smashed his 2nd consecutive ton against India in this series.

Kohli went with an unchanged playing XI against Australia, and this did not work well for the team. Saina and Chahal failed to impress again as the Australian batsmen took them to the cleaners yet again. Although the Indian team managed to cross the 300 marks, they still lost, with Australia winning by 51 runs. Here we look at 3 mistakes that cost India the 2nd ODI against Australia:

India failed to take on Australia’s 5th bowler

Australia has an arsenal of deadly all-rounders who can take charge if one of their bowlers is absent. These include the likes of Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, and Marnus Labuschagne.

Kohli and Iyer failed to take advantage of Moises Henriques. Had they not rotated strike in his overs, Finch would be forced to bring on Maxwell to bowl. Indian batsmen take on spin very aggressively. With such a huge target to chase, India failed to take advantage of some golden opportunities.

Indian bowlers’ inconsistency in finding the right lengths

Indian bowlers failed to perform yet again, as they could not bowl the right lengths to the Australian batsmen. If you fail to bowl the right lengths to Australian batsmen, you are bound to get smashed. It is what exactly happened. Bumrah, who just picked 3 wickets in 8 ODIS in 2020 did not threaten the Aussie openers at all.

Saini was smashed for 70 runs in just 7 overs, whereas Chahal was nowhere near his best. The main catalyst behind this was that the Indian bowlers failed to understand the SCG pitch. Consequently, they were smashed for not bowling the right lengths.

Indian batsmen carelessly threw away their wickets

One reason why Australia is leading this series is that their batsmen have given them an ideal start to the match. Finch and Warner have batted outstandingly well in the opening. Smith has smashed his 2nd ton against India in this series. Maxwell, who was disastrous in IPL 2020, exploded in this series, with quickfire cameos of 45 and 63.

However, a similar has not worked for India. Their batsmen just haven’t shown any consistency so far in this series. Iyer and Agarwal look nowhere near how they looked in IPL 2020. India has to do better if they want to end the series with a win, or else it will be a whitewash.

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