MITCHELL MARSH scored 46 off 26 balls and Josh Hazlewood took 3-13 as Australia defeated India by four wickets in the second Twenty20 international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Put in to bat, India were bowled out for 125 in 18.4 overs. Hazlewood’s early spell left India struggling, with only Abhishek Sharma (68) and Harshit Rana (35) reaching double figures.
In reply, Marsh led the chase with a 51-run opening stand with Travis Head (28 off 15). Australia reached the target with 40 balls remaining.
"It was a good toss to win, bit of moisture and Josh is a great bowler when there's something in it," said captain Marsh. "We wanted to take a couple of wickets early.
"I was a bit nervous but got going in the end," he added about his batting. "Head took the pressure off. Should be a good three games to come."
Along with Hazlewood, Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis took two wickets each.
The win gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after the opening game in Canberra was abandoned due to rain. The third match will be played in Hobart on Sunday.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said his side’s early collapse cost them the game. "The way he (Hazlewood) bowled in the powerplay, if you're four down in the powerplay it's difficult to recover from that," he said.
"Abhishek has been doing this for quite some time now," Yadav said of the opener. "He knows his game and his identity and he is not changing it anymore and hopefully he sticks to it and plays many more knocks like this for us.
"I think we need to do what we did in the first game," he added. "Bat well when batting first and then come out and defend."
A minute’s silence was observed before the start of play to honour 17-year-old Australian cricketer Ben Austin, who died after being struck by a ball during a practice session in Melbourne on Thursday.
