Hardik Pandya against Australia
Aaron Finch-led Australia outclassed visitors India in every department to win the second ODI of the three-match series by 51 runs at Sydney. With the win, the hosts also pocketed the series by gaining a 2-0 unassailable lead.
Batting first, Australia replicated their previous game's ODI performance to notch up a massive total of 389 runs. Skipper Finch and David Warner stitched a century partnership at the start and added 142 for the first wicket. After the duo's departure, it was Steve Smith who rose to the occasion and slammed a 64-ball 104 to bag the Player of the Match award. Along with Smith, Glenn Maxwell's 29-ball 63 and Marnus Labuschagne's 70 also boosted Australia's run-flow.
In response, India were jolted with regular blows in their run-chase. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul kept the Men in Blue in the contest with their half-centuries. However, after their departure, India fizzled out and managed to post just 338 runs on the scoreboard.
Reacting to the comprehensive victory, skipper Finch said that it was a 'perfect' performance with the bat. He showered praise on Warner and Smith for their batting exploits and also lauded Moises Henriques for his cutters. Finch also added that they got a 'blueprint' from Hardik after seeing the all-rounder take pace off the ball in the first innings.
"It was a perfect performance with the bat. There was no extra talk or game plan. Very pleased to wrap it up in two games and win the series. Quicker innings from me would've been better, but it's a bit of a trade-off and I think we set the foundation," said Finch in the post-match presentation.
"Smithy was incredible as usual, and Warner got it off the middle every time as well. Moises bowled really well defensively including his cutters, and as Virat said, we got a bit of a blueprint from Hardik, by taking the pace off the ball," he added.
