One-nil down, Australia headed to Kolkata looking to level the series. Instead, they left there with the series the very opposite of level.
Although, annoyingly, level backwards is still level. So that’s a stupid word.
Regardless, here are the ratings for the second ODI between India and Australia.
Australia’s fast bowlers
Grade: A
Apparently working under the misapprehension that the game was taking place in Eden Park in Auckland rather than Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Australia called in New Zealand captain Kane Williamson to replace James Faulkner.
Wonderful how Williamson will occasionally drop in to help the Australians on tours like this. Top bloke, full of the ANZAC spirit.
But no, of course that’s just me muddling things up again. It was, in fact, Kane Richardson who replaced Faulkner, so you can bet that was a disappointment to Black Cap fans who’d popped over for the match.
After his excellent spell in the first ODI, Nathan Coulter-Nile retained his spot, as the Australians continued with their long-term plan to roll out the NCN all over India.
And leading the attack was, of course, Pat Cummins, who is now Australia’s fittest and most reliable fast bowler.
2017, people. It’s been a weird year.
Learning from mistakes
Grade: B+
Despite a careless juggling catch from Coulter-Nile to remove Rohit Sharma for just seven, Australia showed that they’d learned from the mistakes they’d made in the first ODI.
Rather than reduce India to 3/11 again, this time they cunningly avoided taking the early wickets that gave MS Dhoni so much time at the crease in Chennai.
Instead, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane put on a century partnership as they foolishly laid the foundation for a huge total.
Indeed, a score in excess of 300 seemed likely for India as Virat Kohli made his way to an inevitable century. These twin targets were exactly what made their eventual respective totals of 252 (India) and 92 (Kohli) so disappointing.
So much of cricket is played in the mind.
Looking as if you’re going to knock a side over for less than 150 just makes an eventual total of 281 so much more disheartening. Similarly, being on target for 300+ and then being bowled out for 252 makes that score feel that much harder to defend.
Next level stuff from both teams. Which team will start worse in game three and thereby gain a massive advantage?
(AP Photo /Ashwini Bhatia)
Vomit
Grade: B-
Meanwhile, sweltering under the helmet in the humidity and heat was Matthew Wade. Despite calling for his beloved pickle juice, Wade eventually began to vomit behind the stumps.
Classic Wade. Ever the innovator when it comes to unsettling the opposition batsmen. You’d never see Peter Nevill throw up like that. Good Aussie ‘mongrel’ from the keeper.
And Wade’s vomit wasn’t just used for psychological advantage. Look closely at a replay of the run out of Ajinkya Rahane that finally ended his partnership with Kohli.
You’ll see that his slide into the crease was slowed down just enough by Wade’s pitch vomit to ensure his demise.
And, later, after one of the all-time great caught off a no ball, run out off a dead ball, head off for a rain delay moments in ODI history, Wade returned to take a brilliant one-handed catch off Cummins’ bowling.
You can’t tell me Wade would have taken that catch if his gloves weren’t covered in sticky vomit.
Cliches
Grade: D
India’s defence of their total got off to an outstanding start when Bhuvneshwar Kumar knocked over Hilton Cartwright, still loitering around the top order of the Australian side like an unruly punk teenager, for just one run.
When he followed that up by dismissing Dave Warner for an identical score, Australia were 2/9.
They would have been three cheap wickets down had Rohit Sharma held on to a relatively simple slips chance from Travis Head.‘Catches win matches’ is a generic but often inaccurate cricket cliche. ‘Dropped Head causes dropped heads’ is more accurate, although, admittedly, more rarely applicable.
Because Head and captain Steve Smith now accelerated, making batting look easy. One cover drive, in particular, from Smith raced with mute perfection to the boundary. Isn’t it amazing how sound waves work so that sometimes the thunderous crowd applause for a glorious cover drive can’t be heard at all?
Kuldeep Yadav
Grade: A
But, of course, none of this could last. Head was eventually caught. Maxwell, despite getting off the mark with a casual pair of sixes, was soon stumped. And Smith was stumped by how he could possibly have been caught.
Moments later, the crowd’s sound waves began to function again in the standard way as Kuldeep Yadav took a hat-trick, snaring Wade, Ashton Agar and Cummins in consecutive balls.
Suddenly Australia were 8/148 and on the brink of defeat rather than 5/148 and doing it more or less comfortably.
Oh, sure. Marcus Stoinis tried to do that single-handed rescue thing he does as he made 62 not out. But Richardson is no Josh Hazlewood and Australia ended fifty runs short of the Indian total.
Perhaps this poor start to the series is yet another level of mind games from the Australians. In which case, they’ll be ecstatic it’s worked so well.
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