Champions Trophy winners India were given a reality check as world champions Australia reigned supreme on home soil to secure an elusive 2-0 lead in the three-match series with a two-wicket victory in the second ODI in Adelaide on Thursday 23 October. India were outplayed in all three departments as Rohit Sharma’s gritty 73 came up empty and their total of 264 proved insufficient.
OFF vs. INDIAN, 2nd ODI Highlights | Scorecard
Riding on a composed 71 from Matthew Short and an unbeaten 61 from Cooper Connolly, Australia chased down the target with 3.4 overs to spare. Apart from a couple of late wickets that briefly kept India interested, Australia never let them control the proceedings and secured what ended up being a largely comfortable victory.
For young Shubman Gill, his induction as ODI captain was far from smooth sailing. Although he managed to secure a heroic draw on his Test debut as captain during the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy, his first ODI series as captain after replacing Rohit Sharma ended in a tame defeat.
The build-up to the series revolved around the expected returns of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to international cricket, but the early series loss – sealed just after the second ODI – exposed several cracks in what was thought to be a well-oiled Indian side.
INDIA LOST IN SPADES TO ADELAIDE
After a disastrous outing in Perth, India failed to deliver again in Adelaide – a place that has traditionally brought them luck. The defeat marked India’s first one-day loss at the iconic ground since 2008 and ended a five-match unbeaten streak.
After struggling on a spicy rain-affected pitch in Perth during the series opener on Sunday, India once again found it difficult to match the pace and bounce back at the Adelaide Oval. While their batting was an improvement on the collapse in Perth, India could only manage a par total of 264. Without Jasprit Bumrah’s spearhead, their bowling lacked penetration and failed to generate sustained pressure.
The decision to leave out Kuldeep Yadav, a proven wicket-taking option, for the second consecutive match in Australia will have to face fresh scrutiny. Australia, on the other hand, wasted no time and recalled their wrist Adam Žampa to the playing eleven after returning from paternity leave. As expected, Zampa gave the Indian batsmen considerable trouble and finished with impressive figures of four wickets from his ten overs.
The Indian bowlers struggled once the initial luster of the Kookaburra ball wore off. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar shared three wickets between them in 17 overs, but the absence of a real attacking threat with the ball hurt India’s chances.
Australia lost their captain Mitchell Marsh early – the man who played a steady, match-winning knock of 46 in the series opener. However, the rest of the batting line-up, including newer faces Matthew Short, Cooper Connolly and Mitchell Owen, stepped up and ensured the hosts crossed the finish line without much of a hitch.
New-ball bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh got decent movement and bounce off the surface early on, keeping Marsh and Travis Head quiet. But once the ball got old, the Indian bowlers failed to capitalize on the early pressure.
The Australian pacers made better use of the conditions and the difference was evident. After a 100-plus partnership between Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer, India’s innings never quite got going as wickets fell at regular intervals and the momentum faded away.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
October 23, 2025
