Adelaide, Oct 23 (NationPress) Thanks to impressive fifties from Matthew Short and Cooper Connolly, Australia clinched a decisive 2-0 series lead against India with a thrilling two-wicket victory in the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

India had set a target of 264/9 after being sent in to bat under challenging morning conditions, with Rohit Sharma scoring 73, Shreyas Iyer contributing 61, and Axar Patel adding 44 runs. Although India struggled in the middle overs, a late 37-run partnership between Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh helped them surpass 260.

In pursuit of the target, Short displayed remarkable composure, scoring 74 off 78 balls, featuring four boundaries and two sixes, achieving his career-best score in ODIs. Connolly, demonstrating maturity beyond his years, celebrated his first ODI fifty, remaining unbeaten with 61 off 53 balls, including five fours and a six.

Despite wickets falling at the other end, Connolly maintained his cool, steering Australia to victory with 22 balls to spare, marking Australia's first ODI series win since last year after a string of defeats to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.

With a hint of swing available, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj began with discipline, finding just enough movement to keep Australian openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head subdued. The pressure paid off as Arshdeep invited Marsh into a drive, resulting in an edge caught by KL Rahul.

Short entered the fray with intent, pulling Arshdeep for a six over deep square leg, concluding the powerplay at 42/1. India struck again when Head mistimed a flick off Harshit Rana, leading to a catch at mid-on.

After surviving a run-out scare, Short got another chance at 23 when Axar Patel dropped a tough catch at point off Nitish Kumar Reddy’s bowling. Despite Nitish bringing Rahul up to the stumps, Matt Renshaw hit him for two fours and a six.

Just as the partnership looked to dominate, Axar provided a timely breakthrough by enticing Renshaw down the track, dismissing him for 30.

Short firmly drove Arshdeep for four, eventually scoring his third ODI fifty in 48 balls. However, India continued to chip away from the other end, with Washington Sundar dismissing Alex Carey with a quicker delivery for nine. Sundar could have taken another wicket if Short, on 55, hadn’t been dropped by Siraj.

Connolly appeared comfortable against the spinners, scoring three fours off Axar and Washington, while Short slog-swept the latter for six. The duo scored four each off Rana, until Short holed out to deep square leg.

A brief opportunity for India was thwarted as Mitchell Own capitalized on Rana’s friendly deliveries, hitting a four and two sixes, followed by a four and six off Axar. Connolly displayed great timing, lofting and pulling Siraj for boundaries, reaching his fifty in 42 balls. Although Owen, Xavier Bartlett, and Mitchell Starc fell, Connolly remained steady to ensure Australia’s victory and series win.

Brief Scores: India 264/9 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 73, Shreyas Iyer 61; Adam Zampa 4-60, Xavier Bartlett 3-39) lost to Australia 265/8 in 46.2 overs (Matthew Short 74, Cooper Connolly 61 not out; Washington Sundar 2-37, Arshdeep Singh 2-41) by two wickets