India, Oct. 23 -- India posted a much better, more competitive total in the 2nd ODI against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, all because of the two half-centuries that kept the innings afloat. After Shubman Gill was sent back early and Virat Kohli dismissed for a four-ball duck, hopes were heavily pinned on Rohit Sharma. Could he bail India out of trouble at 16/2? Could he discover the touch that made him a world-beater? Could he, for one last time, channel every bit of motivation and self-belief in him to get a big one? Well, as it turns out, yes and no.

After overcoming a slow start where he got stuck at 8 off 22, Rohit saw off the initial tough phase to finish on a fine 73 off 97, and with Shreyas Iyer's 61, stitched a solid century pa...