Team India continued their exceptional run to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series against World Champions Australia in the 2nd ODI at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
The hosts, batting first, got off to a steady start with captain Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane looking in good touch. Both scored half-centuries, but the dismissal of Rahane via a run-out was enough to shake the Indian middle order.
The hosts couldn’t quite capitalise on their strong start and were bowled out for 252 in the final delivery of the 50th over. The bowlers needed to deliver from the outset, and it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who provided the early breakthroughs. Then it was Kuldeep Yadav’s sensational hat-trick which turned the game on its head, and despite a valiant effort by Marcus Stoinis, Australia fell short by 50 runs.
So with the 2nd ODI done and dusted, let us have a look at the player ratings of India:
Rohit Sharma- 0.5/5
Rohit had a surprising failure at the Eden Gardens. It has been a happy hunting ground for the Mumbaikar, but it wasn’t meant to be his day on Friday. With the bat, he could only muster seven after Nathan Coulter-Nile completed a return catch in two attempts. In the field, he missed a sitter at the slips of Travis Head which could have turned the fate of the match.
Ajinkya Rahane- 3.5/5
Rahane looked in good touch and played some delightful shots en route to his half-century. He was troubled by a jaffa from Pat Cummins which rose from the length and almost took his glove. Along with Kohli, the duo shared a 102 runs partnership before Rahane was brilliantly run out by Hilton Cartwright. Had Rahane gone for the single without hesitating he would have completed it quickly, but the hesitation cost him dearly as Matthew Wade wiped off the bails with Rahane just short of his crease. His 64 balls 55 contained seven hits to the fence.
Virat Kohli- 4/5
Captain Kohli played yet another captain’s knock but couldn’t quite convert it into a century. Kohli looked in ominous touch and played some gorgeous shots in the process. He cut and pulled ferociously, but following the quick wickets of Rahane and Manish Pandey he slowed down a bit which changed the momentum of the match. He smashed eight fours en route to his 92 of 105 balls before getting castled at the hands of Nathan Coulter Nile.
Manish Pandey- 0.5/5
Pandey’s horrendous run continued as he bagged yet another single digit score. After facing 13 deliveries for only three runs, Pandey was bowled by Ashton Agar which went on with the arm and Pandey had no clue how to counter it.
Kedar Jadhav- 2/5
Jadhav played a few delightful shots, and the cut of Marcus Stoinis was something special but the Pocket Sized Dynamo couldn’t quite carry on his good work and was dismissed for 24 of 24 deliveries. He struck two fours and a six during his brief stay.
MS Dhoni- 2.5/5
Though he had a relatively poor outing with the bat in hand Dhoni made it up to a certain extent behind the stumps. He was dismissed for a mere five runs as his uppish cover drive was grabbed safely by Steve Smith in the covers. MS Dhoni stumped Glenn Maxwell and also completed a famous catch of Pat Cummins which gave Kuldeep Yadav the elusive hat-trick.
Hardik Pandya- 3/5
Pandya didn’t have a relatively great day at the office. With the bat, he struggled his way to 20 of 26 deliveries before falling at the hands of Kane Richardson. He couldn’t middle the ball properly and also leaked runs in the initial few overs of his bowling spell. When it mattered the most, Pandya delivered the killer punch by removing Steve Smith who proved to be the game-changing moment. He also bagged the wicket of Coulter Nile to finish with figures of 2/56 in 10 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar- 4.5/5
What an asset he is turning out to be for the national team. Again he contributed 20 with the bat and was the wrecker-in-chief as far as India was concerned. He removed Hilton Cartwright with an exceptional inswinger which rose after pitching and took the bails in the way. What a sight it was for the fast bowler. Then in his very next over Bhuvi removed David Warner with an excellent outswinger which took his outside edge and was safely grabbed by Rahane at slips. He finished off the match in the very first delivery of his 7th over when he dismissed Kane Richardson to hand India a 50 runs victory.
Kuldeep Yadav- 4/5
It was a dream day for the chinaman bowler as he became only the 3rd Indian bowler after Chetan Sharma and Kapil Dev to bag an ODI hat-trick. Kuldeep went for a few runs in his first few overs and even admitted that he wasn’t pitching the ball in the right areas, but when it started coming out correctly, he bagged 3 in 3 consecutive deliveries.
The delivery to Matthew Wade was a short pitch delivery which was meant to be put away, but Wade got an inside edge which rolled onto his stumps. The next man in Ashton Agar was struck plumb in front, and the umpire had no hesitation in ruling it in favour of the bowling team. The hat-trick delivery was the best in the lot. The ball turned sharply and took the outside edge of his bat which was sharply taken by Dhoni behind the stumps.
Jasprit Bumrah- 2/5
Bumrah had a relatively off day yesterday and went wicketless. He conceded 39 runs in 7 overs and with the bat he also scored ten crucial runs off just six deliveries. He bowled some great deliveries up front but leaked some runs in the middle.
Yuzvendra Chahal- 4/5
The leggie continued his wicket-taking exploits and bagged a couple more in the 2nd ODI by giving away only 34 runs. He bowled in the right areas and troubled the Aussies on a consistent basis. His first wicket was a lucky one as Travis Head gave away a simple catch of a full toss which was meant to be put away. He also sent back Maxwell who was going hammer and tongs, but most of the credit for that dismissal must go to Dhoni who did a terrific job behind the stumps.