New Delhi:
Rohit Sharma has been a run-scoring machine when it comes to ODIs in Australia. The 31-year-old right-hander has seven centuries against the Australians and has over 1800 runs in this format. Rohit is a six-hitting machine against Australia, having hammered a world record 66 sixes against them which is the most by one player against one opposition. In Nagpur, in front of his home crowd, Rohit was expected to continue his consistency against Australia. At this venue in 2017, Rohit gave the fans plenty to cheer as he blasted 125 to help India beat Australia and secure a 4-1 series win. On a flat deck at the VCA stadium in Jamtha, India were inserted into bat after Australia won the toss. Pat Cummins opened the bowling and bowled in the right areas as the batsman defended five balls.
However, on the sixth ball of the over, Cummins bowled a short ball outside off that bounced a bit more and Rohit top-edged the cut shot to third man where Adam Zampa took the catch easily. Rohit had fallen for a duck and he created a record in the process. This was the first time in his 203 ODIs that Rohit was dismissed for a duck at home. Rohit had a total of 12 ducks before the Nagpur ODI but this was the first time that he was dismissed without troubling the scorers in India.
Out of his 13 ducks, Rohit has been dismissed for 0 five times against Sri Lanka, which is the most while against Australia, he has been dismissed twice for a duck. This was the first time since the Brisbane ODI in 2012 that Rohit was dismissed without scoring, edging a length ball from Brett Lee to the keeper Matthew Wade. In that match, he lasted five balls.
However, the dismissal for 0 is a small blip in an otherwise remarkable record for Rohit against Australia. He has the second-most number of centuries against Australia in ODIs behind Sachin Tendulkar's tally of nine. Rohit is sixth in the all-time list of run-getters in ODIs against Australia, behind players like Tendulkar, Desmond Haynes, Sir Vivian Richards, Brian Lara and England's Eoin Morgan. Rohit's tally of 66 sixes is the most against Australia, with Chris Gayle leading with 84 sixes against England.
India will be aiming to extend their advantage in the series after having won the first game in Hyderabad by six wickets thanks to Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni's fifties. Australia has never won an ODI in Jamtha, losing in 2009, 2013 and 2017. Australia has not won a series in India since 2009 and they have lost two consecutive bilateral series in 2017 and at home in 2019 for the first time.
