Starc five-for powers Australia to commanding victory in Vizag

Australia bounced back emphatically in the second ODI in Vishakhapatnam to hand India a chastening 10-wicket defeat and draw the series level at 1-1 on Sunday. Mitchell Starc ran through the Indian batting line-up with his pace and swing, picking up 5 for 53 to skittle the hosts for 117 before Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head’s blitzkrieg finished off the chase with 39 overs to spare, handing the Men in Blue their heaviest defeat in the format in terms of balls remaining.

It was a completely dominant performance from Australia from start to finish, with the Indians blown away against the new ball after being sent in by Steve Smith at the toss. Shubman Gill was the first batter to depart, falling for a golden duck in the opening over as he drove a wide delivery from Starc straight to the man at point. Returning to the team in place of Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma became Starc’s second victim in the fifth over, with the skipper edging the left-armer to first slip for 13.

India’s troubles compounded when Starc removed Suryakumar Yadav for another first-baller, dismissing the right-hander in an identical fashion to his wicket in the first ODI in Mumbai, with the ball swinging in and thundering into the pads. The left-armer also got another delivery to tail back in sharply to remove KL Rahul for nine, leaving India reeling at 48 for four.

Sean Abbott then added a fifth for Australia, removing Hardik Pandya with the help of an outstanding one-handed catch from Steve Smith at first slip before Nathan Ellis ended Virat Kohli’s brief resistance for 31 with a delivery that caught him on the pads.

Ellis also got another delivery to bounce more than expected to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja, reducing India to 91 for seven, before Sean Abbott picked up two in two deliveries against the tail. Axar Patel’s unbeaten 29 took India past the three-figure mark, but Mitchell Starc returned to rattle Mohammed Siraj’s off-stump and complete his ninth five-wicket haul in ODIs, bowling the Men in Blue out for their third-lowest score at home in the format.

Chasing 118, Australian openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head wasted no time at the crease and went after the Indian seamers with disdain to put the game to bed. The left-hander got going with a pair of fours against Siraj in the second over, while Marsh continued his form from the first ODI to bring up a second successive half-century. The pair bludgeoned their way to 50 in just 5.3 overs and offered no respite to any Indian bowler, taking Australia home in just 66 deliveries to level the series and force a decider in Chennai on Wednesday.