India lost 5 for 49 inside 10 overs in the second ODI versus Australia
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that India has one of the strongest batting lineups in world cricket which includes the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and the new kid on the block Shubhman Gill. But even after having such quality players in the lineup the Indian batters have not been able to make significant contributions to the team’s total and this has been the case across formats.Â
Indian top order failure:
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India V Australia second ODI: A batter batting performance was expected from the Indian top order heading into the second ODI after a dismal show in the first ODI at Mumbai where they lost 77 for 5 and they did start well as Rohit and Virat added 32runs in the first four overs after losing Shubhman Gill early. But once Mitchel Starc got his rhythm back there was no stopping him as he caused havoc in the Indian batting lineup and picked up five wickets bundling India out for 117. Yes, the bowling was pretty good but there were some soft dismissals as well like that of Jadeja and Rohit both of whom looked complacent while playing shots.
Image Courtesy: India.com
Smith’s captaincy: A special mention about Smith’s captaincy who looked determined and proactive in a must-win game after a batting collapse in the first ODI where the Aussies were bowled out for 188 after a solid start, they lost their last 8 wickets for 59. But today it seemed like Aussies were on a mission to prove everyone wrong as they were on point from the first over
Starc the recur in chief: Starc was the pick of the Australian bowlers as he looked to find some swing but as soon as he realized that there was no swing, he shortened his length
The origin of the collapse: The lack of contribution from India’s top order was also evident in the recently concluded test series versus Australia where India lost quick wickets in three of the four test matches played in the series only for the bowlers to bail the team out of trouble.
Team India faced the same problem in the second test against Bangladesh where the men in blue lost seven wickets for 70 odd runs only for Ashwin and Iyer to take India home. Indian fans should be thankful for the depth in the Indian batting lineup or else they might have won only one out of their last six test matches.
The problem of Indian top-order collapse has become more frequent in the last couple of years which started with the infamous score of 36 all out at Adelaide against Australia at the end of 2020. Team India faced the same problem in the second test against Bangladesh where the men in blue lost seven wickets for 70 odd runs only for Ashwin and Iyer to take India home.
Indian fans should be thankful for the depth in the Indian batting lineup or else they might have won only one out of their last six test matches.Moving forward India faced the same problem on the tour of England in 2021 where the team was bowled out for 78 in the third test which the team lost badly. The same script was followed in the next match but as he has done many times Shardul Thakur scored a fighting half-century as India registered a memorable win and made sure that they cannot lose the series which eventually ended in a draw.
Top-order failure has haunted India massively in ODI’S as well with the most infamous one being in the semifinal of 2019 fifty over world cup where India lost 5 for 36 chasing a total of less than 250.
Image Courtesy: The News Minute
