Australia hammer India by 51 runs to seal ODI series

Virat Kohli's 89-run knock ended up in a losing cause as Australia defeated India by a huge margin of 51 runs in the 2nd ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series on Sunday in Sydney. The match followed a script similar to the series opener at the same venue that Australia won by 66 runs, with captain Aaron Finch opting to bat after winning the toss, reports India Today.

Chasing a mammoth 390 for victory, India were restricted to 338 for 9 in 50 overs despite Virat Kohli's 89 and KL Rahul's 76. It was India's 5th straight loss in ODI cricket and 7th in international cricket. It's also the most number of consecutive ODIs India have lost under captain Virat Kohli.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli became the fastest player to get to 22,000 international runs in his 89-run knock vs Australia. The star batsman has 22,011 runs in international cricket in 418 matches.

India got off to a quick start with Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan adding 50-plus runs for the opening wicket. However, Dhawan threw it away when trying to attack Josh Hazlewood.

India lost Mayank in the next over when Pat Cummins removed the KXIP batsman for 38. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer then joined hands for a solid 93-run stand for the 4th wicket. Just when the Indian duo were picking pace, Steve Smith took a brilliant catch to remove Iyer for 38 in the 23rd over.

Kohli played a brilliant knock of 89 runs before falling prey to Moises Henriques's jaw-dropper in Josh Hazlewood's over. Kohli had forged a 72-run stand for the 4th wicket with his deputy Rahul before his exit in the 35th over.

Earlier, Steve Smith scored his second straight century as the hosts piled on a record-breaking total of 389-4 while batting first against India's listless bowlers on Sunday.

Finch and his opening partner David Warner put on 142 for the first wicket. Finch fell for 60 while Warner was run out for 83 by a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer while trying to steal a second run.

Smith completed his 11th ton in the format in 62 balls and fell on 104 to all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who before Sunday had not bowled in international cricket since September last year due to a lower back injury.

After that Smith (104 off 64 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (63 off 29) did the most scoring, with Marnus Labuschagne also reached his half-century. It was only the second time in ODI history that the top 5 batsmen in an innings had all got a score of fifty-plus.