India defeat Australia by 8 wickets in 2nd T20
India revived their Australian tour with a convincing eight-wicket win over the home side in the second Twenty20 international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
The tourists dazzled in the field with four run outs to restrict Australia to 131 off 19.4 overs before reaching the target at 135 for two with two balls to spare.
It was the India’s first victory on their tour of Australia after losing the opening T20 game by 31 runs in Sydney on Wednesday and receiving a 4-0 thrashing in the Test series.
Australia were scuttled by India's brilliant fielding, the pick of which came from man-of-the-match Ravindra Jadeja who took two run outs.
It was a shambolic Australian performance with the bat and in the field as the youthful Indian side finally revealed the hunger missing for so much of the lopsided Test series.
Gautam Gambhir top-scored with an unbeaten 56 off 60 balls with skipper MS Dhoni not out 21 off 18 balls after promoting himself to number four in the batting order.
The Indians were always in control of the run chase, but tensions mounted in the final over as the Australians ringed the field around Gambhir before he pierced the circle for the winning runs off Clint McKay with two balls to spare.
India lost two the wickets in the form of Virender Sehwag, 23 off 16 balls, and Virat Kohli, 31 off 24.
The impressive victory was just the momentum switch that India needed ahead of Sunday's opening match in the tri one-day series against Australia at the MCG.
Opener Aaron Finch, one of three changes from Australia's win in the opening T20 game, top-scored with 36 off 23 balls and first match top-scorer Matthew Wade chipped in with 32 off 29 balls.
But India had the home side under pressure from the third over when they had the adventurous David Warner dismissed for eight to a great catch in the deep by a back-pedalling Gambhir off Praveen Kumar.
Test flop Shaun Marsh was out for a two-ball duck and Finch was run out by an outstanding piece of athletic fielding by Jadeja after David Hussey hit the ball straight to him at backward point and scampered for a single.
Hussey also played a role in a second run out as Jadeja found skipper George Bailey (3) well out of his ground at the bowler's end, and was himself next to go, caught and bowled by Jadeja for 24 off 29 balls.
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