Alyssa Healy's Record-Breaking Knock Leads Australia to Victory Over India in Women's World Cup
Australia Achieves Historic Chase Against India
In a remarkable display, captain Alyssa Healy scored an impressive 142 runs, guiding Australia to the highest successful chase in women's ODI history during the ICC Women’s World Cup. India’s bowling attack struggled once again to defend their total.
Healy's innings, which included 21 boundaries and three sixes off just 107 balls, propelled Australia to chase down the 331-run target with six balls remaining in Visakhapatnam. This follows a previous match where Indian bowlers failed to defend a total of 251 runs against South Africa.
The chase was set up by an 85-run opening partnership between Phoebe Litchfield and Healy. After exhausting other options, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur brought Shree Charani (3/41) into the attack, who managed to dismiss Litchfield for 40 runs.
Ellyse Perry contributed 47 runs before retiring hurt, while Deepti Sharma and Charani took out Beth Mooney (4) and Annabel Sutherland (0) respectively. Despite some setbacks, Ashleigh Gardner (45) formed a crucial 95-run partnership with Healy, helping to stabilize the innings.
Earlier, India had set a formidable target of 330 runs, marking their highest score in World Cup history. The opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal provided a solid start with a 155-run partnership. Mandhana scored 80 runs off 66 balls, while Rawal added 75 runs off 96 deliveries, taking full advantage of the powerplay.
However, the momentum slowed as Harmanpreet Kaur (22) and Harleen Deol (38) failed to capitalize on their starts. Richa Ghosh (32 off 22 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues (33 off 21 balls) contributed a vital 54 runs for the fifth wicket, but Annabel Sutherland (5/40) and Sophie Molineux (3/75) helped restrict India's scoring.
Harmanpreet reflected on the innings, stating, "We could have added 30-40 more runs. We missed opportunities in the last six overs, which ultimately cost us. The openers have been exceptional, allowing us to consistently score over 300 runs. The last five overs were crucial."
Brief scores: India: 330 all out in 48.5 overs (Mandhana 80, Rawal 75, Rodrigues 33; Sutherland 5/40, Molineux 3/75); Australia: 331/7 in 49 overs (Healy 142, Perry 47*, Gardner 45, Litchfield 40; Charani 3/41, Sharma 2/52).