Australia Women Triumph Over India in ODI Series Opener
Australia Claims Victory in First ODI
In the inaugural match of the ODI bilateral series, Australia women secured a six-wicket victory against India at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Tuesday. With this win, the Alyssa Healy-led team has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Australia's Chase to Victory
Coming off a 1-2 defeat in the preceding T20I series, Australia successfully chased down a target of 215 runs after limiting India to 214 runs. Captain Healy contributed significantly, forming a 55-run partnership for the first wicket with Phoebe Litchfield, who scored 32 runs off 32 balls. Shree Charani provided the first breakthrough for India in the 11th over, dismissing both Healy and Georgia Voll in quick succession.
Healy scored 50 runs from 70 balls before departing, having built a crucial 64-run partnership with Beth Mooney, who led the innings with an impressive 76 runs off 79 balls. Annabel Sutherland remained unbeaten at 48 runs off 44 balls, while Gardner added 5 runs off 4 balls, ensuring a comfortable win for Australia. Mooney was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding performance.
India's Struggles with the Bat
Choosing to bat first, India faced an early setback as they lost their first wicket in the opening over, with Megan Schutt trapping Pratika Rawal lbw. Shafali Varma, batting at number three, struggled to find her rhythm and was dismissed for just four runs off 17 balls by Darcie Brown.
Jemimah Rodrigues followed soon after, scoring only eight runs before being dismissed by Ashleigh Gardner, with Beth Mooney taking a brilliant catch behind the stumps.
Smriti Mandhana managed to reach her half-century, scoring 58 runs with seven boundaries before being dismissed by McGrath. Deepti Sharma, who came in next, scored just two runs before being dismissed.
Richa Ghosh joined captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and the pair added 37 runs for the sixth wicket. Ghosh scored 23 runs off 38 balls before falling to Sophie Molineux. All-rounder Kashvee Gautam contributed significantly, scoring 43 runs with three sixes and three fours, helping India surpass the 200-run mark before Harmanpreet was dismissed for 53 runs.
Australia's Bowling Performance
Ashleigh Gardner was the standout bowler for Australia, claiming three wickets, while Megan Schutt took two. The remaining wickets were shared among Brown, Alana King, McGrath, and Molineux, each contributing one wicket.
The Indian team is set to travel to Hobart for their second ODI match of the series, which will take place at the Bellerive Oval on Friday.
Match Summary
Brief Score: India Women 214 all out in 48.3 overs (Smriti Mandhana 58, Harmanpreet Kaur 53; Ashleigh Gardner 3/33) vs Australia Women 217/4 in 38.2 overs (Beth Mooney 76, Alyssa Healy 50; Shree Charani 2/41).