A Mitchell Starc masterclass and a T20-style knock from Mitchell Marsh have lifted Australia to a crushing 10-wicket ODI victory over India in a match that lasted just 37 overs.
Starc claimed 5-53 off eight overs in Sunday’s clash in Vizag to help skittle India for a paltry 117 in 26 overs.
In reply, Marsh cracked six sixes and six fours on the way to posting 66 not out off 36 balls, with Travis Head (51 not out off 30 balls) a handy ally.
Australia reached the victory target in just 11 overs, meaning it became its third largest ODI victory in terms of overs to spare.
The Australian record remains the 42.1 overs it had to spare in a nine-wicket win over the USA in Southampton in 2004, when the victory target was just 66.
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Sunday’s result levelled the three-match series at 1-1 heading into Wednesday’s finale in Chennai.
“It was a quick one – 37 overs for the game. You don’t see that too often,” Australian stand-in captain Steve Smith said.
“I thought our bowlers were outstanding. Mitchell Starc in particular with the new ball, swinging it back down the line.”
Marsh only opened in the first two matches due to the absence of David Warner, who is nursing a corked quad but may return on Wednesday.
Marsh scored 81 off 65 balls in Friday’s five-wicket loss to India, and he continued to bludgeon India’s attack in game two.
His hot form as a fill-in opener has given Australia food for thought ahead of this year’s World Cup in India.
“It was a bit of fun,” Marsh said of the win.
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The highlight of Sunday’s match belonged to Smith, who dived full length to his right at first slip to pull off a stunning one-handed catch to send Hardik Pandya packing for one.
Smith was in the air and horizontal when he took the catch, and he was mobbed by his teammates in the aftermath.
“I don’t know about catch of the century,” Smith said with a laugh.
“It was nice that I held on today. I had a couple of opportunities last game that were quite similar, and they were just out of reach. I couldn’t get my hand around them.
“I was fortunate I was able to do that today.”
Although Marsh and Head provided the fireworks with the bat, it was Starc who set up the win with a blistering display of pace and swing.
The left-armer started the destruction in the opening over by tempting Shubman Gill (0) into a loose shot.
Smith gave Starc his second wicket with a juggling effort at slip to dismiss Rohit Sharma for 13.
And when Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed lbw by Starc for a golden duck for the second straight match, the Australian pace ace was on a hat-trick.
KL Rahul blocked out the hat-trick ball but was trapped in front by Starc a short time later, reducing India to 4-48.
Smith’s stunner at slip – off the bowling of Sean Abbott – made it 5-49, and Nathan Ellis snared the prized scalps of Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja (16) as India crashed to 7-91 in the 20th over.
Starc was struck for consecutive sixes by Axar Patel when he returned for another spell but finished the innings by bowling Mohammed Siraj.
Only Waqar Younis (13) and Muttiah Muralitharan (10) have more five-wicket hauls in ODI cricket than Starc’s nine.
“I feel like my rhythm has been quite good for a few weeks now,” Starc said.
“And the last couple of nights I’ve got the ball to shape in the air and do a little bit off the wicket. It’s feeling in a good place, and hopefully it will continue.”
Abbott (3-23) and Nathan Ellis (2-13) produced handy cameos.
It was India’s third-lowest ODI total against Australia, behind 63 at the SCG in 1981, and 100 also in Sydney in 2000.
It was also India’s fourth lowest total in ODIs in India against all comers.
Most ODI five-wicket hauls
*Waqar Younis (13 in 262 matches)
*Muttiah Muralitharan (10 in 350 matches)
*Mitchell Starc (9 in 109 matches)
*Brett Lee (9 in 221 matches)
*Shahid Afridi (9 in 398 matches).
Biggest ODI wins for Australia
- 42.1 overs v USA in Southampton, 2004
- 40.4 overs v West Indies in Perth, 2013
- 39 overs v India in Vizag, 2023.
-AAP
