Sports

IIE DIGITAL DESK : The women’s cricket team of Australia women’s national cricket team secured a convincing ODI series victory against India women’s national cricket team, completing a powerful comeback after previous World Cup disappointment. The Australian side displayed superior consistency and tactical execution, winning the first two matches of the series and sealing the championship early, leaving the final match as a formality.

The series carried emotional significance for Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, especially after she had suffered a knee injury during the previous game. The injury raised doubts about her participation, but the skipper returned to the field in the second ODI, showing determination to lead her team despite fitness concerns. However, India could not convert individual performances into a match winning total.

India elected to bat first after winning the toss at the NINJA Stadium. The opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal started positively, giving India a stable platform. Mandhana scored 31 runs before being dismissed, while Rawal played a patient knock of 52 runs from 81 deliveries, maintaining a strike rate of around 64, reflecting the slow and controlled nature of the innings.

Middle order batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who had earlier impressed against Australia in global tournaments, failed to replicate her World Cup heroics and managed only 11 runs. Captain Harmanpreet continued her aggressive style of play but could not sustain the momentum after reaching a half century. She scored 54 runs off 70 balls before returning to the pavilion.

Late contributions from Richa Ghosh, Keshvi Gautam and Kranti Gaud helped India cross the 250 run mark. India eventually finished their 50 overs at 251 runs, which was considered a competitive but not overwhelming total given the strong Australian batting line up.

While chasing, Australia lost opener Alyssa Healy early after she was dismissed for only 6 runs. However, the partnership between Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll changed the course of the match. Litchfield scored 80 runs while Voll played a brilliant century knock of 101 runs, forming a crucial 119 run partnership that completely shifted momentum towards Australia.

The Australian team reached the target in just 36.1 overs, losing five wickets in the process. Indian bowlers including Keshvi Gautam took two wickets, while Deepti Sharma and Kranti Gaud managed one wicket each. Despite some early breakthroughs, India failed to break the Australian middle order resistance.

With Australia winning the series before the final match, the upcoming game is now considered a consolation fixture. The result once again highlighted Australia’s dominance in women’s ODI cricket and exposed areas where the Indian team needs improvement in batting stability and death over execution.