New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) India suffered another defeat against Australia as the hosts clinched the second ODI on Thursday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. With that, the Men in Blue registered their first ODI loss in Adelaide in 17 years.

While Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel stood up with the bat, the bowling and fielding performances were not enough to contain the hosts from chasing the target.

Though Australia lost eight wickets in their chase of 265 runs, some dropped catches by the Indian fielders meant the Men in Yellow won the game by two wickets, with 22 balls remaining.

Young bloke Copper Connolly stole the game away with an unbeaten 61-run knock in the crucial game as Australia, who won the series opener by seven wickets on Sunday, clinched the series with a match to spare.

Fans were unhappy with the result as they criticised India’s performance. Fingers were also pointed at the team selection as head coach Gautam Gambhir faced the heat on social media.

Here are a few top reactions on social media:

“Kuldeep not getting chances. Siraj has been ineffective. U can’t play and win with mediocre bowling line up,” a user wrote.

“Let’s see if Gambhir shows up at the press conference today… he’s always around when it’s time to take the credit,” another user wrote.

“Dear India, Beating Pakistan is routine. Beating Australia is the statement. Let’s focus where it matters,” wrote one.

“Winning an ODI series in Australia isn’t for everyone after all,” stated another.

“Not Good Captaincy and Coaching. Missed the turning points in middle of the match. Promotion Of Harshit Rana Over both fast bowlers And washi,” wrote another user.

“Gautam Gambhir’s obsession with all-rounders is depriving Kuldeep Yadav of crucial opportunities. Benching one of his best bowlers for the sake of team balance and ignoring his wicket-taking ability is nothing short of ridiculous,” a user stated.

“Did India make a mistake by removing Rohit Sharma from ODI captaincy? A team that looked dominant and unbeatable for the past 2–2.5 years is now struggling against a fairly average Australian side,” commented another.

“Not possible to win with this bowling attack. Only Siraj is the main bowler, rest of all are side bowlers,” mentioned another.

India will play the final ODI against Australia on Saturday at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground before Suryakumar Yadav-led T20I side faces the Aussies in five 20-over matches.

— IANS

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