India levelled the 3-match ODI series against Australia with an outstanding 102-run victory, handing the heaviest defeat to Australia in the format in the 2nd ODI. The home side stepped out in a completely new look, donning the all-pink jersey, an initiative intended towards spreading awareness about breast cancer, in the series decider at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
The home side, India, retained the same side that took the field in the previous game. The Alyssa Healy-led Australia made a couple of changes; Grace Harris replaced Annabel Sutherland, and Kim Garth replaced Darcie Brown in the starting 11.
Australia, powered by Beth Mooney’s 138, equal their highest-ever ODI total
Skipper Alyssa Healy led from the front, providing a blazing, alongside Georgia Voll, with a 43-run opening stand after opting to bat first after winning the coin toss in the decider in Delhi. The track gave early signs of a belter, with the crowds sniffing a run-fest on the cards. Kranti Goud ended skipper Alyssa Healy’s (30 off 18 balls) cameo, getting her for the 3rd time in the series, to provide the much-needed first breakthrough for India in the powerplay.
Ellyse Perry joined Georgia Voll at the crease, and Perry yet again came out with a positive intent as Voll settled into her innings. On assessing the conditions on offer, the pair switched gears and went on the counterattack, taking the bowlers on, en route to their massive 107-run stand, for the 2nd wicket, which took them to the 150-run mark, just in the 22nd over of the innings.
Sneh Rana provided the home side with a lucky breakthrough, as Georgia Voll (81 off 68 balls) just managed a top-edge, on a half-tracker down the leg-side, and the substitute fielder Uma Chetry pouched the catch safely, not just giving India the 2nd breakthrough, but also the 50th victim for Sneh Rana with the ball in the format.
Beth Mooney entered with a beast mode on, taking the bowlers to the cleaners from the word go, with Ellyse Perry playing 2nd fiddle to her. Wickets were hard to come by for the Indian bowlers as the curators decided to dish out a flat deck, with batters making merry and bowlers toiling hard for their breakthroughs. It resulted in another sensational 106-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
An impressive diving catch from Kranti Goud ended Ellyse Perry’s (68 off 72 balls) composed stay at the crease in the 33rd over of the innings. Arundhati Reddy provided India with a crucial 3rd breakthrough for India. Ashleigh Gardner joined Beth Mooney, and the Australian innings effortlessly went into the 5th gear, with the duo complementing each other well, stitching an 82-run partnership in double quick time.
The partnership had skyrocketed the total to 338 before Renuka Singh outfoxed Ashleigh Gardner (39 off 24 balls) with a change-up delivery, leading to her departure in the 41st over of the innings. With almost 10 overs to spare, India was staring at a total of around 450. However, the Indian bowlers pulled things back significantly, despite the batters going all gun’s blazing. The Australian innings was eventually wrapped up on 412, with 13 balls to spare, which also happened to be their joint highest total in the format.
Beth Mooney (138 off 75 balls) stood out with the bat for Australia, registering the joint 2nd fastest century by an Australian in the format (off just 57 deliveries), her 4th in the format. Arundhati Reddy (8.5-0-86-3), Sneh Rana (10-0-68-1), Deepti Sharma (10-0-75-2), and Renuka Singh (9-0-79-2) were impressive with the ball for India in a typical run-fest.
Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma’s efforts in vain
Chasing a record total of 413, the Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, both high on confidence with their impressive run in the series, backed their strengths and gave India the ideal start with a quick-fire 32-run opening stand. Pratika Rawal’s stay was short-lived as Kim Garth sent her back to the pavilion in the 4th over of the run chase to provide the first breakthrough for Australia.
The Indian vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, didn’t let the early departure of Pratika affect her rhythm in the innings, as she stitched a crucial 53-run partnership for the 2nd wicket alongside Harleen Deol, keeping up with the required run rate. Megan Schutt ended Harleen Deol’s scratchy stay at the crease in the 9th over of the innings to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease, and the skipper yet again delivered when her side needed the most against one of her most favourite opponents. The pair sent jitters in the opposition camp, with a massive counter-attacking 121-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, which also took them past the 200-run mark in the 21st over of the innings.
The remarkable stand took India slightly ahead in the contest, and just when the pressure seemed to take its toll on the body language of the Aussies, the Indian skipper suffered an injury scare. A minor break in the treatment, causing a brief pause in momentum, was the interval the visitors needed to gather themselves. Kim Garth struck immediately after the break, getting the big scalp of the opposition skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (52 off 35 balls) as she was threatening to take the game away from the Australians.
The home side lost momentum, as they soon lost the wicket of Smriti Mandhana (125 off 63 balls) to a loopy delivery around the off-stump, by Grace Harris, causing a huge dent to India’s hopes in the run chase. She bettered her own record of the fastest century by an Indian in the format by achieving the three-figure mark in just 50 deliveries, which also made it an all-time 2nd fastest in the format. Her knock included 17 boundaries and 5 maximums.
Deepti Sharma, after an unfortunate run-out of Richa Ghosh, tried her best to keep India in the contest right till the end with decent partnerships of 30 for the 6th wicket alongside Radha Yadav (18 off 21 balls), followed by a 28-run partnership alongside Arundhati Reddy (10 off 13 balls) for the 7th wicket and then another vital 65-run stand for the 8th wicket alongside Sneh Rana (35 off 41 balls).
The Australian vice-captain, Tahlia McGrath, ended Deepti Sharma’s spirited stay at the crease in the 43rd over of the run chase to provide the 8th breakthrough for her side. India eventually fell short of the target by 43 runs, as they were bundled out for 369, with three overs to spare. India became the first team to surpass the 300-run mark in a run chase against Australia in the format.
Deepti Sharma (72 off 58 balls) played a vital knock to keep the run chase alive for the home side. Kim Garth (9-1-69-3), Megan Schutt (7-1-53-2), Tahlia McGrath (7-0-44-1), and Georgia Wareham (7-0-42-1) were impressive with the ball for Australia.
Beth Mooney was awarded the Player of the Match for her outstanding century (138 off 75 balls) with the bat. Her knock included 23 boundaries and a maximum. She played a crucial role as Australia clinched the three-match ODI series by a 2-1 margin. The Indian opening batter, Smriti Mandhana, was awarded the Player of the Series for her mind-blowing returns of 300 runs at a strike rate of 138.24, averaging exactly a century per game in the series, including a half-century and a couple of centuries.
