IND vs AUS, 2nd T20I: Clinical India Outclass Australia by 44 Runs to Take 2-0 Lead – News18

The Indian cricket team produced an all-round show to outclass Australia with a 44-run win at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram as the hosts have now taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. It was a match where India outclassed Australia in all three departments and the visitors failed to match the intensity of the clash.

Chasing a mammoth 236-run target, Australia were restricted to 191/9 in 20 overs. Recently crowned ODI World Cup winner Glenn Maxwell returned to the T20I side but the target was too much for him and the other Aussies.

Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi were the pick of the bowlers for Australia as they claimed three wickets each.

Meanwhile, at one stage, things looked a bit tricky for India with Marcus Stoinis (45) and Tim David (37) smashing the Indian bowlers with their supreme power-hitting ability. The 81-run stand put Australia on track for a record chase but Mukesh Kumar and Ravi Bishnoi dismissed them in quick succession to put India on top.

Aussie skipper Matthew Wade also connected a few big shots at the fag end of the innings but it was a bit too late for his side.

Earlier, riding on Ruturaj Gaikwad (58) Yashasvi Jaiswal (53) and Ishan Kishan’s (52) half-centuries India posted a mammoth 235/4 on the scoreboard after Australia asked them to bat.

Rinku Singh continued to flourish in the finisher’s role as he smashed 31 runs* off just 9 balls to give the Indian innings the perfect finishing touch.

Jaiswal laid the foundations for the total after he raced to his fifty in 24 balls but soon fell to fast bowler Nathan Ellis, who got three wickets.

Jaiswal was severe on Sean Abbott and smashed the fast bowler for three fours and two sixes in a 24-run fourth over.

Kishan, a wicketkeeper-batsman, raised his fifty with a six off leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha before he got out to Marcus Stoinis.

On the other side, Gaikwad played the anchor role in the innings which allowed the batters from the other end to play their shots a bit more freely.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav made a contribution of 19 runs off 10 balls.

The Australian pacer rightly took the pace off his deliveries but he erred in the line and length, offering a chance for the Indian opener to free his hands.

In the fourth over, the left-hander punished Abbot with a sequence of 4, 4, 4, 6, 6 for 24 runs, which came through two square cuts, a late cut and two pulls.

India progressed at around 11.5 runs per over in the middle phase of the innings despite spinners Zampa and Tanveer Sangha bowling relatively better spells.

Rinku robbed 25 runs off the 19th over bowled by Abbot as he leaked 56 runs off three overs in total.