Virat Kohli made 104 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni an unbeaten 55 from 54 balls as captains past and present guided India to a six-wicket win over Australia in the second One Day International on Tuesday, levelling the three-match series at 1-1.
Kohli posted his 39th ODI century, his 24th in a second innings and his sixth against Australia, to lead a perfectly measured run chase which saw India surpass Australia's total of 298-9 with four balls to spare.
He put on 82 in 13 overs in a critical partnership for the fourth wicket with Dhoni, which steered India at a cautious pace towards a winning total but he was out at a critical moment, with his team still needing 57 from 38 balls.
Former captain Dhoni played a subdued role in support of his successor Kohli as two players with the joint experience of more than 550 ODIs steadily chipped away at Australia's total. With Kohli's untimely dismissal, Dhoni took up the chase and carried India to a victory which will see the series decided on Friday in the third ODI in Melbourne.
India came to the final over needing seven runs to win and Dhoni smashed the first ball over the long straight boundaries at the Adelaide Oval for a six which tied the scores, then clinched the win with a single from the next ball.
India were ahead of Australia's scoring rate for much of its innings, though they became a little bogged down during the partnership between Kohli and Dhoni.
Former cricketers heaped praises for the Kohli-Dhoni duo after their magnificent innings that led the Indian team to the victory line at Adelaide Oval.
(With AP Inputs)
