Australia outperformed world champions India across the board to secure a six-wicket victory in the first Women’s ODI on Tuesday. India struggled with the bat after choosing to bat first, getting bowled out for 214. Smriti Mandhana scored 58 runs off 68 balls, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 53 runs off 84 balls.
Australia chased down the target easily, led by captain Alyssa Healy with a steady 50 runs off 70 balls in her farewell series, and Beth Mooney, who scored 76 runs off 79 balls. Ashleigh Gardner shone with the ball, taking three wickets for 33 runs in seven overs.
The ongoing multi-format series is now tied at 2-2, with India winning the previous T20 series 2-1. After the three ODI matches, the teams will play a one-off Test in Perth, marking the end of Healy’s International career.
Although India ended their ICC title drought last November, the team still seems to be in transition and lacks the consistent strength typically seen in the Australian side.
“We started with two quick wickets, which is tough. We managed to recover, but the pitch didn’t behave as we anticipated. We’ve been playing well, so we won’t change much after one loss,” said Mandhana, highlighting the team’s collective batting issues. “We need to unite as a batting squad to post a strong total. We won’t dwell on it. We have two days to regroup and will return stronger,” she added.
A bright moment for India came from left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who took two wickets in consecutive balls in the 11th over, dismissing Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll, giving the visitors some hope. India won the toss and opted to bat at Allan Border Field.
With Kim Garth and Ellyse Perry absent due to injuries, Australia called up pacers Megan Schutt and Lucy Hamilton. Schutt made an immediate impact by bowling Pratika Rawal leg-before in just her second delivery. This match marked Rawal’s return to international Cricket after recovering from an ankle injury from last year’s ODI World Cup.
Shafali Verma, promoted to number three for the first time, struggled and offered a simple catch to Darcie Brown. Mandhana started slowly, edging several boundaries past the slip cordon before displaying elegant drives off the seamers. Australia’s spinners tightened their grip during the middle overs, with Gardner having Jemimah Rodrigues caught behind with a delivery that caught the outside edge.
Mandhana and Deepti Sharma both fell trying to sweep, and although Harmanpreet steadied the innings, she too got out playing the same shot, caught in the deep off Gardner. Kashvee Gautam provided late resistance with a brisk 43 runs off 44 balls, helping India surpass the 200-run mark. She hit three sixes, including a mighty shot over long-on off Schutt, which stood out in an otherwise disappointing batting display from the visitors.
