The China Mail - Rohit stars as India make 264-9 in 2nd ODI against Australia

With the hosts winning the rain-affected opening game in Perth by seven wickets, they can clinch the three-match series with a successful run chase.

Rohit used his experience to get through a testing opening spell from Josh Hazlewood before letting loose, stroking seven fours and two sixes in his 97-ball stay.

Shreyas Iyer (61) was also impressive in a 118-run stand with Rohit after Australian captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and chose to field at a sold-out Adelaide Oval.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers with 4-60.

Hazlewood was virtually unplayable early on, opening with 13 dot balls, but it was Xavier Bartlett who got the breakthrough.

In the team for Nathan Ellis, he tempted Shubman Gill to skip down the pitch only to chip an easy catch to Marsh at mid-off.

That brought Kohli to the crease at a ground where he has often excelled and after an eight-ball duck in Perth the 36-year-old was keen for runs.

But he lasted just four deliveries with Bartlett trapping him lbw to leave India reeling at 17-2 after seven overs.

It is the first time Kohli has been dismissed for consecutive ducks in his long ODI career.

Rohit weathered the storm and crunched two sixes in three balls off Mitchell Owen in the 19th over as he got into his groove, reaching a 59th half-century off 74 balls.

Iyer brought up his 50 from 67 deliveries before Marsh turned to Mitchell Starc in a bid to break the partnership.

It was a masterstroke, with the paceman removing Rohit in the first over of his second spell -- Hazlewood collecting a mis-timed pull shot in the deep.

Iyer fell three overs later to Zampa, getting a thick edge onto his stumps, with the spin king also accounting for KL Rahul (11), Axar Patel (44) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (8).

mp/fox

C.Smith--ThChM