In the aftermath of their loss in the second ODI, Steve Smith praised the Indian team’s batting performance and expressed confidence in Australia’s resurgence.
Steve Smith Praises Indian Batting Excellence Despite Australia’s Defeat
Steve Smith has assumed leadership of the Australian team in the absence of captain Pat Cummins. In the second ODI, Australia won the toss and chose to invite the Indian team to bat first. However, this decision proved to be incorrect as Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill of the Indian team outplayed the Australian bowlers. Their exceptional partnership of 200 runs earned accolades from Steve Smith.
With this victory, the Indian team secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, defeating Australia by 99 runs (by Duckworth-Lewis rule). Batting first after losing the toss, the Indian team posted a total of 399 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Due to rain interruption, Australia had to chase a target of 317 runs in 33 overs according to the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Steve Smith commended Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, saying,
“The way Shreyas and Gill batted at the start today was fantastic. After their partnership, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav delivered an excellent performance. We were already aware of their batting prowess. We anticipated the pitch might behave differently due to the previous day’s rain, but that didn’t happen. While we’ve faced defeats in the past few ODIs, we are optimistic about making a strong comeback.”
Australia’s performance in ODI cricket has been lackluster recently, suffering losses in the last five matches. The team’s key players have been sidelined due to injuries, with star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell undergoing rehabilitation, fast bowler Mitchell Starc nursing an injury, and Travis Head also getting injured during the match against South Africa. The injuries to several team members have posed significant challenges for the Australian side.
