Surya, Iyer and Gill guide India to highest ODI score against Australia

Suryakuamar Yadav posted solid fifties just ahead of the ODI World Cup to make a strong case for his selection in the playing 11 going ahead in the 50-over’s biggest event. It was his 72 off just 37 balls coupled with centuries from Shubman Gill (104 off 97) and Shreyas Iyer (105 off 90) that took India to their highest ODI total against Australia in the game’s record on Sunday, September 25, 2023, at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. 

India posted 399/5 in their 50 overs which surpassed Men in Blue’s previous high score of 383/6 against the Aussies set in 2013 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. India’s highest ODI score is 418/5 which was achieved against West Indies in 2011 at the same ground in Indore. 

Asked to bat first in the second ODI after Australia won the toss, Indian openers started well. Gill continued his sensational run with a fifth ODI hundred of the year while Iyer hit a timely ton under pressure. Gill and Iyer shared a stroke-filled 200-run stand off just 164 balls after Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) missed out on a batting beauty.

Suryakumar and skipper K L Rahul (52 off 38 balls) plundered a pedestrian-looking Australian attack in the death overs to provide the final flourish for India.

The last 10 overs yielded 103 runs as India racked up their highest-ever total against Australia in ODIs. Gill's peerless form is an ominous reminder to rivals ahead of next month's World Cup.

It was a second consecutive ODI hundred for the 24-year-old at this venue, having hammered 112 off 78 balls against New Zealand earlier this year when India ended with a match-winning 395.

Unlike Iyer, Gill began slowly on Sunday, collecting nine off his first 19 balls before going after the Aussie bowlers with disdain.

He was unstoppable after his first strike which was a straight six off pacer Sean Abbott in the ninth over.

Cameron Green tried a short one against Gill who was happy to pull him away for a six over fine leg. But the rain caused a 40-minute delay, putting a temporary halt to the entertainment.

Both Gill and Iyer, who struggled with cramps towards the end of his innings, continued to find boundaries after resumption.

The highlight of Gill's knock was how frequently he danced down the track against the fast bowlers while Iyer's aggressive intent from ball one stood out in a scenario where he was desperately searching for runs.

Both Iyer and Gill got their half-centuries with straight sixes, off debutant Spencer Johnson and Green respectively.

Conditions were ideal for the batters but Australian attack, missing the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, looked short on ideas. Lead spinner Adam Zampa too could not stem the flow of runs.

Iyer was the first to complete the century, his third in ODIs, while Gill got to the milestone, his sixth in the format, 19 balls later.

When both the batters departed, Rahul and Kishan (31 off 18) played some bold strokes to up the scoring rate.

Suryakumar, who had to change his game in the previous match to adapt to the needs of ODI cricket, came out to bat in the 41st over.

In the T20 context, it was an ideal time for him to come and explore his 360 range from ball one. He did just that to power India to a formidable total.

His innings included four sixes in a row off Green in the 44th over. The towering pacer conceded 103 runs in his 10 overs, so symbolic of their wretched outing with the ball on the day.

With PTI inputs