Australia Dominates India in Final ODI with 185-Run Victory

India Faces Heavy Defeat in Third ODI

In a disappointing turn of events, the Indian women's cricket team, reigning World Champions, suffered a significant defeat by 185 runs against Australia during the third ODI at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, on Sunday.

This loss resulted in a clean sweep for Australia in the series, marking a tough end for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led squad.

Healy's Farewell Century Leads Australia to Victory

Opting to bat first, India aimed for a win in the series finale. However, Australian captain Alyssa Healy, playing her last ODI, delivered an impressive performance, scoring her eighth century and propelling her team to a formidable total.

Opening alongside Healy, Phoebe Litchfield contributed 14 runs before being dismissed by Kashvee Gautam.

Georgia Voll, who replaced Litchfield, scored 62 runs off 52 balls, forming a crucial 104-run partnership with Healy for the second wicket.

Sneh Rana ended this partnership in the 22nd over, but Beth Mooney's arrival at the crease proved pivotal as she and Healy combined for a staggering 145 runs for the third wicket in just 92 balls.

Healy reached her century and quickly advanced to 150, finishing her innings with 158 runs, including 27 fours and two sixes.

Mooney also shone, scoring an unbeaten 106 off 84 balls, as Australia surpassed the 400-run mark, setting a daunting target of 410 runs for India.

India's Struggle in the Chase

In response, India's chase faltered early with the loss of star batter Smriti Mandhana in the second over without scoring.

Pratika Rawal attempted to accelerate the innings but was dismissed by Annabel Sutherland after scoring 27 runs off 21 balls.

Jemimah Rodrigues provided some resistance with a quick 42 runs from 29 balls, hitting nine boundaries.

Despite a brief partnership of 63 runs for the eighth wicket between Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana, India ultimately fell short, finishing at 224 runs in 45.1 overs.

Alana King was the standout bowler for Australia, claiming four wickets, while Georgia Wareham added two more to seal the match.

In her farewell match, Healy also bowled a couple of overs, conceding 12 runs without taking a wicket.

Match Summary

India will now head to Perth for a one-off Test match scheduled to begin on March 6.

Brief Score

Australia Women - 409/7 in 50 overs (Alyssa Healy 158, Beth Mooney 106*; Sneh Rana 66/2) vs India Women 224/10 in 45.1 overs (Sneh Rana 44, Jemimah Rodrigues 42; Alana King 33/4).