INDORE: India batsmen Shub­man Gill and Shreyas Iyer scored centuries to lay the platform for a 99-run win over Australia in their rain-hit second One-day International in Indore on Sunday that sealed a 2-0 series victory ahead of the World Cup.

A revised victory target of 317 in 33 overs following a rain interruption left Australia facing a daunting task and they ran out of steam after David Warner’s departure for a defiant half-century, as India prevailed via the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, playing in only his second ODI this year, got rid of Australia’s dangerous batsmen to end with 3-41 after pace bowler Prasidh Krishna’s early double strike.

Asked to bat first on a good Holkar Stadium wicket by stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith, top-ranked India posted a huge 399-5 in 50 overs as opener Gill continued his superb form with a fifth ton this year and sixth overall.

The 24-year-old began cautiously but built momentum to make 104 off 97 balls, with six fours and four sixes, while Iyer gave him good company with 105 from 90 balls as the pair tore into the Australian attack without rested skipper Pat Cummins.

Iyer missed much of India’s triumphant Asia Cup campaign with a back spasm but showed he was in fine fettle heading into the World Cup on home soil next month, with 11 fours and three sixes in a controlled 200-run second-wicket stand with Gill.

Home skipper KL Rahul made a steady 52 in the middle overs before Suryakumar Yadav heaped the misery on Australia, striking four consecutive sixes off Cameron Green in the 44th over en route to a 37-ball 72.

Australia started shakily as Krishna removed Matthew Short and Smith off successive balls before rain briefly halted play with the tourists mounting a fightback at 56-2.

Left-hander Warner went on the offensive after play resumed and displayed his ambidexterity by batting right-handed against Ashwin, but was trapped lbw for 53 as he looked to switch back and raise the scoring rate.

Warner bizarrely did not review the umpire’s decision as television replays showed he edged the ball onto his pad.

Ravindra Jadeja (3-42) then got in on the act as Australia fizzled out for 217 after a battling 54 by Sean Abbott.

India, who rested several frontline players for the first two games, will eye a clean sweep when the teams meet in Rajkot on Wednesday.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA:

R. Gaikwad c Carey b Hazlewood8

S. Gill c Carey b Green104

S. Iyer c Short b Abbott105

K.L. Rahul b Green52

I. Kishan c Carey b Zampa31

S. Yadav not out72

R. Jadeja not out13

EXTRAS (NB-1, W-13)14

TOTAL (for five wickets, 50 overs)399

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-16 (Gaikwad), 2-216 (Iyer), 3-243 (Gill), 4-302 (Kishan), 5-355 (Rahul)

DID NOT BAT: R. Ashwin, S. Thakur, M. Shami, P. Krishna

BOWLING: Johnson 8-0-61-0 (1w, 1nb), Hazlewood 10-0-62-1 (2w), Abbott 10-0-91-1 (4w), Green 10-0-103-2 (2w), Zampa 10-0-67-1, Short 2-0-15-0

AUSTRALIA:

M. Short c Ashwin b Krishna9

D. Warner lbw Ashwin53

S. Smith c Gill b Krishna0

M. Labuschagne b Ashwin27

J. Inglis lbw Ashwin6

A. Carey b Jadeja14

C. Green run out19

S. Abbott b Jadeja54

A. Zampa b Jadeja5

J. Hazlewood b Shami23

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3, W-3)7

TOTAL (all out, 28.2 overs)217

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-9 (Short), 2-9 (Smith), 3-89 (Labuschagne), 4-100 (Warner), 5-101 (Inglis), 6-128 (Carey), 7-135 (Green), 8-140 (Zampa), 9-217 (Hazlewood)

DID NOT BAT: S. Johnson

BOWLING: Shami 6-0-39-1, Krishna 6-0-56-2 (2w), Ashwin 7-0-41-3, Thakur 4-0-35-0 (1w), Jadeja 5.2-0-42-3

RESULT: India won by 99 runs (DLS Method).

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2023