Australia galloped to an emphatic eight-wicket victory in the home stretch of their World Cup preparations against hosts India, in New Chandigarh on Sunday. Thanks to half-centuries from each of their top-three, India finished with a strong 281/7 in their 50 overs after electing to bat first in the opening ODI of the three-match series. Australia’s successful chase was built on an impressive 88 by Phoebe Litchfield at the top, followed by an unscathed 116-run stand between Beth Mooney (77) and Annabel Sutherland (54) that helped scale the target with 5.5 overs to go. They had a defendable target on the board but India didn’t do themselves any favours with their shoddy fielding and loose bowling.
Despite the positive start, India had to grind hard to cross 280 due to the sluggish middle-overs’ performance. They got past that number courtesy of late cameos. Upfront, Pratika Rawal played the anchor while Smriti Mandhana served the mantle of the chief aggressor. In just 15 innings together, the left-right combo registered their fifth century stand – the joint-most for the first wicket for India in the format.
En route their 114-run stand – India’s best against Australia now – Mandhana and Rawal accomplished 1,200 partnership runs at a run-rate a shade over 6 – the highest amongst 56 pairs hitherto. Scoring at a fair clip, Mandhana registered a 55-ball half-century – her fifth 50+ score in the calendar year – before Georgia Wareham and Annabel Sutherland’s disciplined bowling initiated the slow-down in the middle overs. She tried to break the shackles with a maximum off Sutherland, but attempting a cheeky single off the very next delivery cost Mandhana her wicket, a lucky break for Australia.
The departure of the set batter applied the brakes. Australia tightened the screws further and the the run-rate dropped to 4.7 at one point with Harleen Deol getting her eye in. Wareham was replaced by the second leg-spinner, Alana King, and she got the better of Rawal while India were still navigating their way out of the spin choke. Three overs later, Sutherland cut short skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s early pyrotechnics in her 150th ODI by nabbing her plumb in front for 11.
Deol upped the ante as death overs approached, smashing a six straight down and a four next off King before registering a crucial run-a-ball fifty. Megan Schutt, however, had her stumped soon after for her first wicket.
Tahlia McGrath, returning to the attack in the 43rd over, and greeted by the brawny Richa Ghosh. The Australian vice-captain actually had Ghosh caught in the deep off an illegitimate delivery. The free-hit yielded six, and much to Australia’s chagrin McGrath had overstepped yet again. The next free-hit was stroked for a four. She did, sparing the blushes, close out the expensive over with the key wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues.
Radha Yadav (19 off 14) and Deepti Sharma (20 off 16) occupied the crease in the final overs, their handy cameos delivering the joint second-highest total against Australia for India. However, after leaving 30 runs out there, India underperformed in the defence. The bowling lacked venom, the catching was poor and there were way too many misfields.
Alyssa Healy, alongside Litchfield, blazed off the blocks in the chase and looked in sublime touch before chopping on off Kranti Goud. The breakthrough following a 45-run opening alliance helped India plug the flow of runs but only for a short while as Ellyse Perry joined Litchfield and together the pair ensured the asking rate was kept under firm check.
Litchfield’s knock wasn’t a spotless affair. She was on nought when Rodrigues dropped her at short midwicket off Sneh Rana in the second over, and later just after a 44-ball fifty, Harmanpreet bungled up a chance at covers off Radha. The left-arm spinner also created an opportunity versus Perry, but Rawal put one down in the deep to reprieve the veteran on 20. Perry though retired hurt soon after clutching her calf. Through their 79-run stand, the pair never allowed India’s four-pronged spin attack to settle into a rhythm or stack an uncomfortable amounts of dots.
Mooney replaced Perry in the middle and she cobbled together a 46-run stand in 37 balls to keep up with the tempo. Just when Litchfield seemed to be heading towards three figures, India got third-time lucky with sub Arundhati Reddy completing the catch when the southpaw was on 88. Her most productive shot – the reverse-sweep – fetched her three boundaries but also spelt her doom eventually.
In four boundary-less overs that followed, Mooney and Sutherland dug in. They kicked on to forge a rock-solid stand, taking apart spin and pace with equal disdain. Mooney raced to a 45-ball fifty, and ushered Australia past the 250 mark in the 40th over. Sutherland ambled along at run-a-ball until her 40s, before registering a 47-ball fifty to put Australia on the brink of an easy win. The middle overs was where the visitors pranced into the ascendancy, scoring 196/1 as compared to India’s 152/3 in the 30-over phase.
Brief scores: India 281/7 in 50 overs (Pratika Rawal 64, Smriti Mandhana 58, Harleen Deol 54; Megan Schutt 2-45) lost to Australia 282/2 in 44.1 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 88, Beth Mooney 77*, Annabel Sutherland 54*) by 8 wickets
