KOLKATA: Virat Kohli was the sole spark of resilience for India, as they folded for 252 in their 50 overs against Australia during their second ODI at the Eden Gardens today.
In the process, the skipper notched up his 45th ODI half-ton. He found an able ally in Ajinkya Rahane, who showcased restraint and good technique on his way to his 20th ODI fifty.
India, going in with the same team as they did in Chennai, won the toss and elected to bat. Australia, on the other hand, made two changes to their side, brought in Ashton Agar and Kane Richardson in the place of Adam Zampa and James Faulkner.
India began on a cautious note as Australia pacemen Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pat Cummins showcased good discipline with the ball. The former in particular extracted good carry from a pitch that offered good bounce, and coupled that with a hint of movement as openers Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma were muzzled via the constant targeting of the off-stump channel.
The pressure that the visitors exerted finally paid dividends as Rohit toe-edged a drive back to Coulter-Nile, who completed a smart juggling return catch to send him back to the hut for 7.
It was up to Rahane and skipper Virat Kohli to rebuild the innings, which they did so with a very watchful approach. Risks were minimised as the two right-handers kept the scoreboard ticking with excellent running between the wickets despite being subjected to heat and intense humidity.
The weather took a toll on the Aussies as well, with both Coulter-Nile and Cummins resorting to cooling down with the constant use of wet towels and hydration during drinks breaks.
By the time Rahane fell for 54, courtesy a lovely flat throw from Hilton Cartwright in the deep, India had moved on to 121/2, propelled by a 102-run partnership between him and Kohli. Manish Pandey fell soon after, playing all over an Ashton Agar ball to see his stumps light up.
The skipper didn't relent though, as he joined forces with Kedar Jadhav to keep the scoreboard chugging along. The latter gave the run-rate a push with a six and two fours, before succumbing to Coulter-Nile for a run-a-ball 24.
Kohli, in the meantime, kept moving closer to his 31st ODI century by threading the gaps and cashing in on bad deliveries. He fell eight short of becoming the second-placed batsmen in the all-time ODI ton-scorer list, after playing a Coulter-Nile ball onto his stumps.
MS Dhoni couldn't repeat what he did in Chennai, being snared by Richardson for only 5 off 10 balls. Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar hung around till the 48 over, helping the score attain a semblance of respectability with their 33-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Rain interrupted play for a brief period of time in the 48th over, resulting in a loss of 18 minutes of play.