After slumping to a crushing defeat in the opening ODI, Virat Kohli-led India will look to rebound strongly when they head into the second One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday.
On Friday, Australian skipper Aaron Finch and opener David Warner slammed a century each to help their side swept aside the Men in Blue by 66 runs in the first ODI in Sydney to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Opting to bat first, Finch (124-ball 114) and Warner (69) provided their side with a perfect start by sharing a mammoth partnership of 156 runs for the first wicket before the latter was removed for 69 by Mohammed Shami.Subsequently, Finch shared another century stand of 108 runs with Steve Smith, who later also brought up a blistering knock of 105 runs off 66 deliveries to help Australia post a massive scoe of 374 for six.
In reply, Adam Zampa finished with figures of four for 54, while Josh Hazlewood bagged a three-wicket haul to help the hosts restrict India to a score of 308/8.
Shikhar Dhawan (74) and Hardik Pandya (90) staged a late fightback for India by putting up a 128-run stand for the fifth wicket, but it was just not enough to guide India to victory.
Though India experienced a disappointing performance with the ball, the team managed to stay alive in the game with a decent batting performance that also saw Hardik’s confident return to the team after a long injury lay-off.
The Kohli-led side will now look to bounce back to keep themselves alive in the series, while Australia will look to capitalise on their victory and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
In the previous ODI series between the two sides in January this year, India clinched a 2-1 win over Australia in the three-game rubber.
As far as weather is concerned, there are chances of rain interruptions in the evening. The maximum temperature is likely to reach around 37-degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature in Sydney is expected to record at 24-degree Celcius. The condition is expected to be oscillating during the clash due to a heatwave.
When to watch:
The second ODI of the three-match series between India and Australia will kickstart from 9.10 a.m onwards. Just like first ODI, the upcoming clash will see limited specatators.
Where to watch:
The series between the two sides is being telecast on Sony Network in India, while the live streaming of the event will be available on SonyLiv.
