Steve Smith took a sensational catch as Australia leveled the ODI series after beating India by 10 wickets in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
The Aussies spoiled India’s batting line-up, with the hosts bundled out for 117 – their fourth-lowest home ODI total – as Mitchell Starc took five wickets and Sean Abbott got three.
One of Abbott’s scalps made the catch of the game as Smith, still standing as skipper in place of Pat Cummins, dived to his right to remove Pandya for 1.
The star all-rounder edged a length delivery from Abbott towards the slip cordon, which Smith amazingly caught at full length to his right towards where third slip would normally be.
Speaking on commentary, Indian cricket great Sanjay Manjreka suggested Smith’s grab had a legitimate claim to be considered ‘the catch of the century’ with such difficulty.
Steve Smith (centre) took a sensational catch to remove Hardik Pandya in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam on Sunday
Smith darted full length to his right to take a superb one-handed grab after the Indian all-rounder edged a length delivery from Sean Abbott
‘It’s not far,’ replied former Australian captain Aaron Finch.
‘An absolute blinder from Steve Smith. Who needs three slips when you’ve got Steve Smith standing there?
‘He’s been known over the years to pick them up single-handedly beauties. In the last game, many reached his fingers, but this, straight to the hand.’
Starc finished with figures of 5-53 from his eight overs, while Abbott claimed 3-23 from six overs and Nathan Ellis took two from five.
After India collapsed, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head made light work of the chase finishing with 66 not out and 51 not out respectively as Australia reached the victory target in just 11 overs.
The result leveled the three-match series at 1-1 heading into Wednesday’s conclusion in Chennai.
Marsh only opened in the first two matches in the absence of David Warner, who was ruled out of the first match to give him more time to recover from a hairline fracture in his elbow.
Warner was scheduled to play on Sunday, but a corked quad kept him out.
Marsh scored 81 off 65 balls in Friday’s five-wicket loss to India, and he continued to attack the Indian attack in the second game.
His hot form as a fill-in opener has given Australia food for thought ahead of this year’s World Cup in India.
Although Marsh and Head provided the fireworks with the bat, it was Starc who set up the winner with a blistering display.
The left-armer began the destruction of the opening over by teasing Shubman Gill (0) with a loose shot, with Marnus Labuschagne gobbling up the catch at backward point.
Smith gave Starc his second wicket with a juggling effort and slip to dismiss Rohit Sharma for 13.
And when Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed lbw by Starc for a golden duck for the second consecutive match, the Australian pace ace was on a hat-trick.
KL Rahul blocked the hat-trick ball but was trapped in front of Starc moments later, reducing India to 4-48.
Smith’s stunner at slip – off the bowling of Sean Abbott – made 5-49, and Nathan Ellis caught the precious scalps of Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja (16) as India slumped to 7-91 in the 20th over.
Starc was hit by consecutive sixes by Axar Patel as he returned for another spell but ended the innings by bowling Mohammed Siraj.
Only Waqar Younis (13) and Muttiah Muralitharan (10) have more five-wicket hauls in ODI cricket than Starc’s nine.
Mitch Marsh and Travis Head did poorly in the chase finishing with 66 not out and 51 not out, respectively, as Australia chased down 117 in just 11 overs
Mitchell Starc finished with five wickets, his ninth five-wicket haul in ODI cricket
India’s total is their fourth-lowest at home in an ODI and their third-lowest against Australia
‘We saw a clinic there from Mitch today, like we’ve seen before,’ Abbott said of Starc’s heroics.
Abbott (3-23) and Nathan Ellis (2-13) made handy cameos.
Virat Kohli (31) led the way for his side, with Patel (29no) the only other batter to struggle.
It is India’s third-lowest ODI total against Australia, behind 63 at the SCG in 1981, and also 100 in Sydney in 2000.
