IND vs AUS: Centuries from Gill and Iyer, fifties from Rahul and SKY propel Hosts to 399-5
It was a run-fest at Holkar Stadium in Indore during the first innings of the Second ODI between India and Australia. Batting first India lost Ruturaj Gaikwad early. It was up to the youngsters Iyer and Gill to steady the Indian innings and the duo did so by adding 200 runs for the second wicket. Both batters made full use of the batting-friendly wicket and batted aggressively right from the start, giving Australia no chance to come back in the match. Iyer was the more aggressive of the two as he started his innings with five fours in his first 14 balls, and
The Partnership
Gill too found his rhythm just before the rain break, hitting Sean Abbott for four and six. That brought their fifty stand in 29 balls. By the tenth over, India was 80-1. The pair did not slow down even after the end of the first powerplay and kept on hitting boundaries which put the Australian bowler under pressure Gill especially dominated down the V against Adam Zampa and the pacers.
That helped him accelerate from a score of nine in 19 balls to go past Iyer, and he eventually reached his half-century in 37 balls. Like Gill, Iyer too reached his fifty with a six down the ground, getting there in 41 balls.
The batters did slow down a bit after the 20th over as they were close to their individual centuries. Iyer reached his third ODI century in the 30th over, and he was joined by the whole stadium on their feet to celebrate the occasion. Two overs later, Gill completed his sixth ODI century, and while trying to clobber Cameron Green for a six down the ground, he too was out for a 97-ball 104.
The Final Punch
It seemed like Australia had a chance to come back in the match after the fall of Gill’s wicket but captain KL Rahul ensured that nothing of such sort happens as he completed his fastest half-century in ODI cricket. For most of the innings, 400 was a realistic target, especially with the wickets in hand, but Australia slowed the game for a couple of overs in the final powerplay. Surya who came to bat at number six provided the much-needed impetus to the Indian innings by scoring a quick-fire 72 which helped India reach the score of 399-5
