India dominated both the batting and bowling departments this past Sunday at Holkar Stadium, securing a convincing 99-run victory over Australia. With this win, the Men in Blue now lead the series 2-0 and are eyeing a clean sweep in the final ODI scheduled for September 27. Trying to chase down a modified target of 317, the Australian batting order crumbled under steady pressure, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja leading the charge by taking three wickets each.
India's innings began with a setback as Josh Hazlewood dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for 8. However, the momentum swung wildly in India's favor thanks to a powerhouse partnership between Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. The pair were relentless, building a massive 200-run stand for the second wicket. Iyer reached his third career ODI century in 86 balls, while Gill notched his sixth in 92 deliveries.
The momentum shifted when Sean Abbott finally broke the partnership by dismissing Iyer for 105, shortly followed by Cameron Green getting Gill out for 104. KL Rahul, filling in as captain, contributed a polished 52 before Green claimed his wicket. The finishing touch came from Suryakumar Yadav, who maintained his blistering form by scoring his second straight ODI fifty in just 24 balls. His late-game aggression pushed India to a staggering 399/5, marking their highest-ever ODI total against Australia.
Australia's chase started poorly, with Prasidh Krishna striking twice in the second over to remove Matt Short (9) and Steve Smith for a duck. Although David Warner (53) and Marnus Labuschagne (27) managed to stabilize things with an 80-run stand, Ravichandran Ashwin tore through their recovery by taking both wickets in back-to-back overs. While Sean Abbott fought hard with a 54, he didn't get enough help from his teammates, leading to Australia's eventual defeat.