Captain Virat Kohli cherished the important dismissals, in relatively quick succession, of Australian batsman Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell as India won Tuesday’s second ODI by six wickets at the Adelaide Oval.

Marsh and Maxwell formed the backbone of the hosts’ total of 298 for nine en route to 131 and 48 respectively. The final tally could have been substantially higher, too, had seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar not removed the left- and right-hander in the 48th over.

‘I am very pleased. We wanted to try and restrict them in the end. To get them, Maxwell and Marsh, in two balls was outstanding for us. Those breakthroughs were crucial. That meant we were not chasing 330. Bhuvneshwar was outstanding with the ball – he came back and brought us into the game towards the end. The way the Australians were batting, we really pulled things back,’ enthused Kohli.

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The visiting skipper was named Player of the Match after striking a brisk 104 in victory with four deliveries to spare. The ton marked the 39th of Kohli’s prolific career – and was complemented by former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s closing half-century.

‘You look for little moments to pump you up, I try and get into that zone. Every time we have a target on board, I try to stay as aware as possible in recognising when to strike. When it comes off, it looks nice,’ added Kohli.

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‘I try and keep things simple. You have to take calculated risks. Hopefully, I can keep helping the team. It was a really tough day, you saw MS in the end, he was tired as well. This was an MS classic. Only he knows what’s going through his mind. He calculates the game so well. He backs himself to hit those big hits. Hats off to him. MS was as composed as ever. We try and help each other.’

The result levelled the series one-all, after the home side won the first ODI in Sydney. The series decider will be played in Melbourne on Friday.

Photo: Getty