Mitchell Starc produced a brilliant display of bowling with the new ball in the second match of the series in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, claiming his ninth five-wicket haul in ODIs as India were bundled out for 117, their highest against Australia at home. Had a low score. ,

After this, the visitors reached 121/0 after scoring 100 runs in 11 overs with fours and sixes on the basis of fighting fifties from opener Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh. The match lasted only 37 overs – shorter than a full T20 tie – as India were outplayed in every department.

Australia’s spectacular comeback after losing the first ODI in Mumbai set the stage for the last match in Chennai on Wednesday. Australia will be expected to ride on this momentum as they look for a rare white-ball series win in the subcontinent.

“There’s no doubt about it, it’s disappointing,” Indian captain Rohit Sharma said at the presentation ceremony. “We didn’t play to potential. We didn’t apply ourselves with the bat. We always knew runs weren’t enough. It wasn’t a pitch of 117 at all. Not in any way. We just didn’t apply ourselves.

Electing to bowl, Australia took advantage of overcast conditions early on and quickly put India’s batsmen on the backfoot. For the second match in a row, Starc was sensational with the new ball, accounting for four of the top five batsmen before Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis ran through the middle and lower order. India’s innings ended in just 26 overs.

With the ball round the seam, Starc was unmistakable with his length, the right-hander teasing India’s top-order with his high-armed deliveries, which tended to cause confusion in the batsmen’s minds and alter the balance. Was quite immersed. Then the dropping balls were asking to be hit, but only preparing the batsmen for catching practice at the slip cordon. Like Shubman Gill, after taking a full ball from Starc away from his body, only to slice it to point.

As long as Sharma was playing with his hips, he looked at ease. But when tempted by a wide ball from Starc, he chased it down like Gill, getting first slip in the process. “He (Starc) has been doing it for years with the new ball for Australia,” Sharma said. He said, ‘He kept bowling according to his strength and we kept falling according to his strength. It is something that we need to understand and play accordingly. All their bowlers bowled really well and put us under pressure.

Starc said: “I think my rhythm has been good over the last few weeks and I think over the last few nights I’ve got to shape the ball in the air and do it a bit off the wicket.” Against Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul he took advantage of the well-known Shaheen Afridi angle – pitched the ball to get the ball on the front foot, only to have the ball shape up and trap him in front of the stumps. Yadav got a golden duck while Rahul hung around for a while before being pinned on his knee roll.

India were down and out at 49/5 when stand-in captain Steve Smith dived to his right in the slips to complete a tempting one-handed catch to dismiss Hardik Pandya. Only Virat Kohli could have done the turnaround but he was trapped leg before by Ellis. Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed by wicket-keeper Alex Carey before Axar Patel ran out of partners to take India past 100. There were only two sixes off Starc, which Patel could save, before Mohammed Siraj was bowled by Starc.

Getting early wickets was the key to defending on a 117-run surface which made it easy to bat on. India though were rocked by a counterattacking stand between Marsh and Head. They needed just one over to settle in chase mode. Siraj and Mohammed Shami gave 11 runs in the second and third overs. Once Shami conceded 16 runs in the fifth over and then Siraj was hit for four fours in the sixth over, any semblance of a fight evaporated into thin air.

Five bowlers were used, but all except Patel were hit as Australia recorded their third-fastest win in ODIs. Marsh said, “It was a bit of fun.” “It is always good to get off to a good start when you are chasing such a small target. I was hoping the head would come off for a flyer and I could play it slow. Instead, Marsh played a blistering 36-ball 66, which was studded with six sixes and fours.