Last Update on: September 25th, 2023 at 09:56 am
Team India, on Sunday (September 24), thrashed Australia by 99 runs (DLS method) in the second ODI at the Holkar Stadium in Indore to seal the three-match series with a match to spare.
Asked to bat first, India recovered from a shaky start to post a daunting total of 399 for 5 in the allotted 50 overs. After Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed for 8, in-form Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer scored centuries to lay the foundation for the big total. Stand-in captain KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav then scored the fifties to take the score past the 300-run mark.
Rahul could not last till the end but Suryakumar did and he played the role of the finisher to perfection. The right-handed batsman smashed an unbeaten 72 off just 37 balls with the help of 6 fours and 6 sixes. In reply, Australia were all out for 217 runs in the 29th over. The visitors were given a revised total of 317 in 33 overs after a rain break but they never really looked in contention to chase down the big total.
India to rest stars for final ODI:
With the series already in the bag and the all-important ICC World Cup 2023, Team India are reportedly set to rest Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur for the third and final ODI. According to a report in The Indian Express, both players won’t be a part of India’s playing XI for the third game scheduled to be played in Rajkot on Wednesday (September 27).
The duo will not even fly to Rajkot and will instead join the team in Guwahati where India will begin their ODI World Cup journey. With the World Cup ahead, the team management has been resting players regularly to keep them fit and fresh. Earlier, they had rested Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav for the first two matches of the ongoing series.
All four players will join the team in Rajkot while Rohit will now be leading the team in the final game. In his absence, KL Rahul was in charge of the team. Fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah also missed the second ODI due to personal reasons and is expected to return for the third ODI.
