India beat Australia by 99 runs in the second ODI at Indore to seal the three-match series. Batting first, India reached a mammoth total of 399 thanks to centuries from Shubman Gill and Shreyas Gill. Suryakumar Yadav (72 off 37 balls), KL Rahul (52 off 38 balls) and Ishan Kishan (31 off 18 balls) also made valuable knocks for the home side.
The Australian innings was delayed by rain before being asked to chase the revised target of 317 in 33 overs under the DLS method. However, the men from Down Under were bowled out for 217 with 28 balls left to be played.
Spinners R Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja shined for India with the ball while David Warner and Sean Abbott were the only Australian batters who could offer any resistance for the visitors.
Rain stopped play for the second time in the game when Australia were 56 for two in nine overs. With the revised target of 317 in 33 overs, they fell further behind in the game and ended with 217 all out in 28.2 overs.
The series win without their five main players in the squad was a big boost for India ahead of the World Cup at home.
The final game, in which a full strength India squad is expected to play, will take place in Rajkot on Wednesday.
While Gill extended his sensational run with a fifth ODI hundred in 2023, runs were more than welcome for Iyer who missed the majority of Asia Cup with a back spasm soon after returning from a long injury lay-off.
Iyer, who was fighting for a spot in the middle-order with Ishan Kishan, might have settled the debate for now. However, Surya has emerged as another contender for that one spot with an explosive knock.
The Holkar Stadium tends to produce high-scoring games and Sunday's game proved no exception. 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. Conditions were ideal for the batters but the 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 a 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.
Australia were never in the run chase after losing their first two wickets off successive deliveries from pacer Prasidh Krishna in the second over. Both Matthew Short and Steve Smith fell chasing wide deliveries. The extra bounce that Krishna generates contributed to Smith's dismissal with Gill holding on to a flying catch at first slip.
Warner then enthralled the spectators with his stroke play, batting both right and left-handed. He batted right-handed mainly to Ashwin who got the ball to turn even after the rain break. After sensationally sweeping Ashwin with his right-hand, Warner was adjudged leg before-wicket as he attempted a reverse hit from the unusual stance.
India were guilty of dropping two catches in the field. Ravindra Jadeja too got plenty of purchase from the surface and ended with three wickets.
Brief scores:
India: 399/5 in 50 overs (Shubman Gill 104, Shreyas Iyer 105, Suryakumar Yadav 72 not out, KL Rahul 52; Cameron Green 2/103).
Australia: 217 all out in 28.2 overs (David Warner 53, Sean Abbott 54; R Ashwin 3/41, Ravindra Jadeja 3/42).