THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (AP) — Wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi took 3-32 to bowl India to a 44-run victory over Australia in their second Twenty20 cricket international on Sunday and give the hosts a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The top-three batters scored half-centuries to propel India to 235-4, its highest score in T20s against Australia.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal led the way at Thiruvananthapuram with 53 off 25 balls, while Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan scored 58 and 52, respectively.
In reply, Australia finished on 191-9 in 20 overs. Pacer Prasidh Krishna took 3-41 in four overs.
Marcus Stoinis top-scored for Australia with 45 off 25 balls, but couldn’t take his side anywhere near the target.
Australia captain Matthew Wade opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
India won the first T20 in Visakhapatnam by two wickets.
Australia made two changes with World Cup winners Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa included after resting in the previous game, which was played just four days Australia beat India in the Cricket World Cup final.
India fielded an unchanged side.
Put into bat, Jaiswal and Gaikwad made good use of the conditions by adding 77 off 35 balls for the first wicket.
Jaiswal scored 50 off 24, smashing nine fours and two sixes along the way. He was out caught in the sixth over with India way ahead of the curve. His dismissal didn’t bring any respite as Kishan added 87 with Gaikwad for the second wicket on his way to a 29-ball half-century.
It was his second successive fifty in the series.
Kishan hit three fours and four sixes, while Gaikwad struck three fours and two sixes.
Nathan Ellis finished with 3-45 in four overs, dismissing both openers as well as stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav (19).
India was well placed at 189-3 when Yadav was out, before Rinku Singh smacked 31 not out off only nine balls – hitting four fours and two sixes at a strike-rate of 344.44.
Australia’s chase never really took off. Openers Steve Smith and Matthew Short both contributed 19 runs, before Bishnoi got the breakthrough by bowling Short. He then sent back Josh Inglis – the previous game’s centurion was caught for only two.
Another big moment came when Glenn Maxwell holed out off Axar Patel for 12 runs. Prasidh Krishna picked the first of his three wickets to send back Smith, as Australia found itself 58-4 in 7.2 overs.
Stoinis and Tim David (37) added 81 for the fifth wicket before David was out caught off Bishnoi. An over later, Stoinis was also out caught.
Wade hit an undefeated 23-ball 42 and added 36 for the 10th wicket with Tanveer Sangha (2 not out).
The third T20 game is on Tuesday at Guwahati.
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