IND vs AUS, 2nd ODI: Team India beat Australia by 36 runs in Rajkot to draw series level

Team India beat Australia by 36 runs in the second OD match at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Friday(January 17).

With this victory, India have now drawn the series level at 1-1 despite losing the first match by 10 wickets in Mumbai.

In chase of a target score of 341, Indian bowlers ripped throw the Australian batting line-up and dismissed the visitors at 304.

The Aussies lost their star opener, David Warner, in the fourth over to Mohammed Shami's slower delivery after scoring 15 runs.

Steve Smith came in and formed a 62-run partnership with skipper Aaron Finch.

However, Ravindra Jadeja came into the attack and provided India with another key wicket when keeper KL Rahul dislodged the bails to dismiss Finch for 33 runs.

Marnus Labuschagne and Smith knitted together a firing partnership of 96 runs for the third wicket.

Labuschagne in his second ODI match played a 46-run knock off 47 balls before Jadeja sent him back to the dressing room.

Alex Carey and Smith kept the scoreboard ticking and added 42 runs before leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav removed both Carey (18) and Smith (98) in the same over.

Mohammed Shami in 44th knocked out Ashton Turner's (13) and Pat Cummins (0) in back-to-back deliveries and almost bagged a hattrick on the day.

Ashton Agar (25), Mitchell Starc (6), and Adam Zampa (6) played stay at the crease was cut shot too with Kane Richardson staying unbeaten on 24 runs.

Earlier in the day, Australia won the toss and invited India to bat first as the hosts hoisted a mammoth score of 340 for the loss of six wickets.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan laid the foundations right with their 81-run stand for the first wicket before Adam Zampa dismissed Sharma for 42 runs.

Virat Kohli came in next and played a captain's knock of 78 runs off 76 balls and built two crucial partnerships with Dhawan and KL Rahul.

Dhawan scored 96 runs before Kane Richardson dismissed him in the 29th over

It was thanks to Rahul's late heroics which boosted the 'Men In Blue' over the 300-run mark. KL smashed 80 runs off 52 deliveries while allrounder Ravindra Jadeja stayed unbeaten on 20 runs.

Shreyas Iyer (7) and Manish Pandey (2) failed to deliver on the day as they lost their wickets cheaply in the end.

The third and final ODI match will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on January 19.

Brief scores: India 340/6 (Shikhar Dhawan 96, KL Rahul 80, Adam Zampa 3-50) defeat Australia 304/10 (Steve Smith 98, Mohammed Shami 3-77) by 36 runs.