IND vs AUS: Who said what after the second T20I in Melbourne

Josh Hazlewood won Player of the Match in the second IND vs AUS T20I in Melbourne.

Australian Cricket Team outplayed Indian Cricket Team by four wickets in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium, Melbourne on Friday, October 31. With the victory, the hosts have earned a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The first game of the series, which took place on Wednesday, ended without a result due to rain.

The Mitchell Marsh & Co. thoroughly dominated the Men in Blue in the Melbourne T20I after winning the toss and opting to bowl first. They sent back four of the visiting batters even before they could score 40 runs.

Australian pacers Josh Hazlewood (3) and Nathan Ellis (2) gave a big blow to Indian batters at the start, sharing five wickets between them. Abhishek Sharma (68) hit a half-century while Harshit Rana added 35 runs, however, with no other Indian batter crossing double digits, they were bowled out for just 125 runs in the end.

Later, Marsh (46) and Travis Head (28) gave a quick start to Australia’s chase, adding 51 runs for the first wicket. Following a blistering start, Australia did not give any chance to the Indian bowlers to make a comeback. Eventually, the hosts chased down the target in 13.2 overs by four wickets, losing a few quick wickets towards the end. Hazlewood was adjudged Player of the Match for his three-wicket haul.

Josh Hazlewood is a great bowler who makes it count: Mitchell Marsh

After the victory, Australia captain Mitchell Marsh heaped praise on pacer Hazlewood during the post-match presentation. The right-arm pacer bowled a match-winning spell of 3/13 in his four-over spell.

“Hoff (Hazlewood) is a great bowler, and when there’s a little in the surface, he makes it count. I thought we bowled collectively really well, kept attacking for wickets, and set the game up nicely,” he said.

“Since the last World Cup we’ve tried to build a squad of around 25 players who can all step up when needed. We want everyone to feel part of the team and connected. There’s some great young talent coming through in Australian cricket, and they’re learning fast,” he added.

He’s been doing this for a while now: Suryakumar Yadav on Abhishek Sharma’s knock

After the defeat, Suryakumar lauded Abhishek Sharma for his half-century in the encounter. As India faced a top-order collapse, the left-handed batsman scored a crucial 68-run knock. The Indian captain also noted that Hazlewood bowled really well in the power play.

“(On Abhishek) He’s been doing this for a while now. He knows his game, knows his identity, and it’s good he’s not changing it – that’s what’s brought him success. Hopefully, he sticks with it and plays many more knocks like this for us,” he said.

“(On Hazlewood) Absolutely. The way he bowled in the powerplay – if you’re four down early, it’s very difficult to recover. Credit goes to him, he bowled really well. We need to do the same thing what we did in the first game – bat really well if we’re batting first, put nice runs on the board and then come out and defend,” concluded Yadav.

Everyone’s doing their job every time, giving 100%: Josh Hazlewood on Australia’s bowling

After receiving Player of the Match award, Hazlewood praised his fellow bowlers, saying that everyone was giving their best efforts for the team’s victory.

“Absolutely. There’s no better place to learn than out here, in front of 80,000 people, against a high-quality team. I’ve been really happy with what I’ve seen from the other end over the last few games – even in the one-dayers, the guys have been on fire. Everyone’s doing their job every time, giving 100%,” he said.

“The ball feels like it’s coming out nicely at the moment, in whatever format I’m turning up and playing. So, not much needed to change on a wicket like that – there’s enough there for all the quicks. Just about putting the ball in the right areas, don’t try too much, and seeing what happens,” he further said.

Notably, Hazlewood will not be part of the last three T20I games to play in the Sheffield Shield 2025-26. He revealed that he will now prepare for a week to get into the rhythm for the Ashes 2025-26.

“Heading home tomorrow. I’ll have a week to prepare for the Shield game against Victoria at the SCG, then we head to Perth for the first Test. It’s important to get that red ball rhythm in, bowl consecutive overs, spend big days in the field – tick that off and then it’s Perth,” concluded the right-arm pacer.

Meanwhile, the third T20I between Australia and India will take place at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Sunday, November 2. While Australia will miss the services of Hazlewood in the next three games, Glenn Maxwell’s return will be a big boost for them.

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