Half-centuries from Matthew Short and young all-rounder Cooper Connolly powered Australia to a nail-biting two-wicket victory over India in the second One-Day International at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, giving the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing 265 for victory, Australia overcame a few nervy moments to reach the target with 22 balls remaining.
Short led the way with a fluent 74 off 78 deliveries, while Connolly showcased remarkable composure with an unbeaten 61, guiding his side home despite wickets falling at the other end.
Earlier, India posted 264 for nine after being sent in to bat under tricky morning conditions. Skipper Rohit Sharma top-scored with 73, Shreyas Iyer made 61, and Axar Patel added a useful 44 down the order.
India’s innings, however, lost momentum after a promising middle phase, with a late 37-run partnership between Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh ensuring a respectable total.
Australia’s chase began on a cautious note as Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj extracted early movement to dismiss Mitchell Marsh and keep the scoring in check.
Short countered with positive stroke play, striking four boundaries and two sixes to notch his career-best ODI score.
Connolly then anchored the innings with calm assurance, rotating strike smartly and punishing loose deliveries to bring up his maiden ODI fifty.
India struck regularly through Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, but the pair of Short and Connolly ensured Australia remained ahead of the required rate.
Short’s dismissal for 74 gave India a glimmer of hope, but Mitchell Owen’s quick-fire cameo of boundaries and sixes snuffed out any late drama.
Connolly stayed till the end, ensuring the hosts sealed their first ODI series win since 2023.
For India, the pace attack looked sharp initially but couldn’t capitalise on early breakthroughs.
Arshdeep and Siraj bowled with discipline, while Axar and Sundar chipped in with timely wickets.
Earlier in the day, India’s batting effort was led by Rohit and Iyer, who added 118 runs for the third wicket after the visitors slipped to 17 for two.
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Bartlett had rocked the top order with a double strike, removing Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli — the latter dismissed for a second consecutive duck in ODIs.
Rohit weathered a fiery spell from Josh Hazlewood before finding his rhythm, striking nine fours and two sixes in his 97-ball knock.
Iyer played fluently for his 61, before Adam Zampa turned the tide with a four-wicket haul that included the dismissals of Iyer and KL Rahul. Bartlett supported well with 3 for 39 as India’s lower order fought to stretch the total beyond 260.
With this win, Australia not only secured the series but also ended a run of three consecutive ODI series defeats against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.
The final match of the series will be played in Melbourne on Sunday.
