"Fortunate I Was Able To Hang On To It": Steve Smith On His Terrific Catch To Dismiss Hardik Pandya In 2nd ODI

19.03.2023 - 20:17 sports.ndtv.com

After registering a thumping 10-wicket victory over India, captain Steve Smith lauded Australia's "outstanding" bowlers and said Mitchell Starc in particular with the new ball put Men in Blue under pressure.

Starc's fifer followed by Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head's brutal hitting guided Australia to 10 wickets victory with 234 balls to spare against India in the second ODI of the three-match series at YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

Starc returned with a figure of 5/53 in eight overs, his ninth ODI five-wicket haul, as India was bundled out for 117 runs in 26 overs.

Smith was taken aback by the quick result, which was achieved with 39 overs to spare. "Was a quick one. Only 37 overs you don't see that too often.

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Hardik Pandya is back to his best as an all-rounder. The star has been contributing both with the bat and ball in the limited overs formats. He has also been regularly leading the team in the T20Is. He was also the stand-in captain in the first ODI against Australia. On Wednesday, Pandya once again proved to be quite a handful with the ball as he took three wickets in three overs. With Australia in full flow, reaching 61/0 in 10 overs, Pandya came to India's rescue. He got the wickets of Travis Head (33), Steve Smith (0) and Mitchell Marsh (47) in the 11th, 13th and 15th overs respectively.

Watch: Steve Smith Yawns During 1st ODI vs India. Fans Find Similarity With Sarfaraz Ahmed

Australia skipper Steve Smith and his team did not have a good outing in the first ODI at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Friday as Team India defeated them by 5 wickets in a low-scoring thriller. India's stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first in the game that saw regular captain Rohit Sharma missing out due to family commitments. For Australia, Mitchell Starc shone with an 81-run knock off 65 balls, but other batters failed to replicate him as the guests were bundled out for 188 runs.

India vs Australia: Rohit Sharma And Co Register Unwanted Record With Heavy Loss In 2nd ODI

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head slammed brilliant half centuries to guide Australia to a comfortable ten-wicket win over India in the second ODI encounter in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Chasing 117, the Aussie opener made short work of the chase as they completed it in just 11 overs. It was an unwanted record for Rohit Sharma and Co as it was the quickest any target was chased against India in ODI cricket. The previous record belonged to New Zealand who chased down 93 in 14.4 overs.

Mitchell Starc Haul And Mitchell Marsh Blitz Help Australia Hammer India In 2nd ODI

Mitchell Starc's 5-53 and a blazing 66 by Mitchell Marsh helped Australia demolish India by 10 wickets in the second ODI to level the series at 1-1 on Sunday. Starc, a left-arm quick, rattled the Indian batting with his pace and swing to bundle out the opposition for 117 in 26 overs in Visakhapatnam. Openers Travis Head (51) and Marsh, who smashed six sixes in his 36-ball blitz, then took apart the Indian bowling to romp home in 11 overs and level the three-match series with one game left.

Watch: Steve Smith Pulls Off 'Catch Of The Century', Rohit Sharma's Reaction Goes Viral

Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith is well known for his fielding in the slip cauldron and he once again proved his mettle with a stunning catch during the second ODI encounter against India on Sunday. Mitchell Starc ended up claiming five wickets to bundle out India for 117 but the talking point was the catch that ended the innings of Hardik Pandya. Pandya ended up getting a thick edge on a delivery from Sean Abbott and it looked like the ball was too far from Smith at the slips. However, the veteran Aussie cricketer pulled off a full length to his right and his superman effort left India skipper Rohit Sharma and other teammates completely stunned at the dressing room.

Twitter Fumes As Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul And Others Succumb To Mitchell Starc's Might In 2nd ODI

Just like the first ODI in Mumbai, Mitchell Starc was once again all over India's top-order in the second ODI at the KS Raja Reddy Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Starc, who took three wickets in the first ODI, dismissed Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul all inside the powerplay to leave India five down. As Rohit and co. succumbed to Starc's onslaught in Visakhapatnam, fans of the Indian cricket team trolled the players for their inability to tackle the new ball.