India vs Australia 2019, 2nd T20I, Bengaluru - Match Report

Glenn Maxwell hit an unbeaten hundred, as Australia won the second T20I against India in Bengaluru by seven wickets. Australia, who was asked to chase 191, made light work of the hosts’ bowling; getting on their nerves in the second half of their innings. Meanwhile, with the win, the Aussies broke the 11-year old record, as they clinched a T20I series win over India. For the Men in Blue, it was captain Virat Kohli, who shined with the bat – scoring 72 off 38 balls. Besides, KL Rahul and MS Dhoni also contributed; though their best wasn’t enough to keep Australia silent on the day.

Glenn Maxwell guide Aussies to a series win

Like the first game, it was Glenn Maxwell who turned out to be the difference between two teams. The all-rounder hit an unbeaten hundred to help Australia chase the mammoth total and win the game by seven wickets in hands. Meanwhile, Australia didn’t start well, as they lost Marcus Stoinis and captain Finch on single scores.

At the time when India looked set to seal the fate of the game, the pair of D’Arcy Short and Maxwell began the rescue work. The couple added 73 runs for the third wicket before a slower one from Vijay got the better off Short on 40. At that time, it looked like Maxwell was waiting for his wicket to fall only to unleash himself. Maxi, hit sixes all over the park  – picking from Krunal Pandya to Yuzvendra Chahal.

The duo of Maxwell and Peter Handscomb didn’t wait for long before taking on Bumrah as well. It was about time before Glenn smashed his second T20I ton; helping the Aussies come near to the winning total. Eventually, the star of the night hit a four off Siddharth Kaul to win the game for the mighty Aussies.

Here is the scorecard of Australia’s innings against India –

Virat Kohli hits unbeaten fifty; Rahul, Dhoni shine

The India National Cricket Team captain, Virat Kohli returned to form in style – hitting 72 off 38 balls. During the second T20I in Bengaluru, the hosts batted first after losing the toss again. Finch, who had led the Aussies well in the first match couldn’t follow the script here at the Chinnaswamy stadium. India, on the one hand, made a few changes; Vijay Shankar, Siddharth Kaul and Shikhar Dhawan returned to the XI. While, Mayank Markande, Umesh Yadav got dropped; Rohit Sharma was given rest.

The first six overs belonged to KL Rahul, who hit a few massive sixes off the pacers – Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson. As he was on a rampage, Dhawan struggled to find the gaps early in his innings. Rahul, who hit a fifty in the last game got out of 47 off 26 balls. He hit four sixes and three fours. On the other hand, Dhawan didn’t leave an impact; getting out on 14 off 24 deliveries. Rishabh Pant also had a poor outing, as he got out on one off five balls.

What happened later changed the complexion of the game. The pair of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli stood tall and hit 100 runs for the fourth wicket. As captain Kohli changed gears in the fag end of the innings, MS Dhoni scored massive sixes to silence his critics.

In nine overs after Pant’s dismissal, Dhoni collected 40 off 23 balls, hitting three fours and as many sixes. Virat, who didn’t find his Midas touch in the early overs, later, got after the bowlers like never before. He registered 72 off 38 balls – smashing two boundaries and six sixes. Meanwhile, India had fared exceptionally well in the 20 overs – scoring 190 for four.

Team India’s scorecard –