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From Kohli to Dhoni, the five reasons behind India's win in second ODI

Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni...India found multiple heroes in their march to victory over Australia at Adelaide

Virat Kohli led Indias successful chase with a masterly hundred

Adelaide, January 15: India defeated Australia by six wickets to level the three-match series 1-1 with the final ODI scheduled for Friday at Melbourne.

India under Virat Kohli braved the scorching South Australian heat and persistent Australians to reach home with four balls to spare.

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For the record, Australia made 298/9 and India made 299/4 in 49.2 overs. Here MyKhel is taking a closer look.

1. The Kohli hundred

1. The Kohli hundred

There is no better batsman to steer a chase at present than Virat Kohli. He underlined that fact with a superbly paced 39th ODI hundred. His 104 off 112 balls was a study class in playing through fatigue barrier. The slowness of the pitch did not allow him to find the ropes as often as he would have liked but the Indian skipper compensated for it with brilliant running between the wickets, also a certification for his immense stamina. There was a period when Kohli went boundary-less after his second hit to the fence and he did not allow the frustration to creep in. Kohli broke the shackles with a four and six off Jason Behrendorff in the space of three balls, indicating that he has flicked the chase switch. But a moment of carelessness or zeal to finish the match early prompted him to play a rather casual flick off Jhye Richardson that ended in the hands of Glenn Maxwell in the deep but by then India had seen the port.

2. Dhoni's 50

2. Dhoni's 50

No other Indian cricketer has come under as much scrutiny as MS Dhoni in the last year or so. Dwindling strike-rate, inability to find gaps and rotate strike have made him less the force that he once was. His meandering 96-ball 51 at Sydney had given strength to the arguments of many that Dhoni has no place in this Indian set up. But on a scorching Adelaide evening, Dhoni put on the old garb and finished the match. India needed seven runs off the last over to win the match. It required one big shot and Dhoni conjured it. It was just like those olden days. Behrendorff pitched up and Dhoni cleared his front foot and clubbed the ball over long-on for a six - match sealed. Vintage stuff!

3. Bhuvneshwar's spell

3. Bhuvneshwar's spell

The pacer was not at his best at Sydney leaking runs at back end that allowed Australia rack up a competitive total. But on a rather slow Adelaide deck, Bhuvi was in his elements. He conceded just 9 runs in his first five overs and took the wicket of Australian captain Aaron Finch. Then he later came back at the death to strangle the Australians, who were gunning for a total in the vicinity of 320 as Shaun Marsh, who made a brilliant 131, and Glenn Maxwell began to produce the odd big shots and ran well between the wickets. But Bhuvneshwar produced two slow balls to account for both the set batsmen. Maxwell tried to go over long-on and there was neither timing or power behind that shot ending in the hands of Dinesh Karthik and Marsh perished in the same way, giving a lame catch to Ravindra Jadeja at long-off. The wickets triggered a period in which Australia lost four wickets for just 7 runs and it required the last over bravery of Nathan Lyon for Australia to reach near 300. The spell showcased the value Bhuvi brings to the table and also a likely portend that the pace man is finding his range.

4. Karthik's cameo

4. Karthik's cameo

When Karthik entered the field after the dismissal of Kohli, India were still 57 runs away from target and Dhoni was not exactly comfortable in the Adelaide heat and he needed that extra few minutes to recapture his breath. Karthik played an innings that was the need of the hour (25 off 14 balls) and that eased a lot of burden on Dhoni. It also underscored the need of having someone like Karthik behind Dhoni as India are taking a brisk walk to the ICC World Cup 2019.

5. Fielding

5. Fielding

It's an important part if you want to win in Australia. Of course, Adelaide is not the biggest ground Down Under but that smallish nature of the venue made it all the more mandatory that the fielders are at their peak. Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Kohli and Jadeja came up with stellar efforts on the field and on a rough calculation they might have saved some 20 runs on the day, tilting the balance in India's favour.

Story first published: Wednesday, January 16, 2019, 10:09 [IST]
Other articles published on Jan 16, 2019