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India Women's Spin Falls Flat, Fielding Crumbles As Australia Seal Dominant Win In 1st ODI

Kaushik Kashyap

Australia Women won by 8 wickets. [Source - BCCI.COM]Australia Women won by 8 wickets. [Source - BCCI.COM]

On the back of a disciplined bowling performance and a dominant batting display, Australia Women defeated India Women by 8 wickets in the first ODI at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday, September 14. With this emphatic win, they have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, kicking off their tour in style.

Here, we take a look at the entire highlights of the 1st ODI of the three-match series between India Women and Australia Women, as it panned out at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday, September 14.

Mandhana, Rawal Blaze Early; Aussies Fight Back Late

After opting to bat first, India Women got off to a strong start, thanks to a fluent opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal. The pair added over 100 runs for the first wicket, both notching up confident half-centuries. However, the momentum shifted when a miscommunication saw Mandhana (58 off 63) run out after a direct hit from Phoebe Litchfield.

Harleen Deol joined at No. 3, but runs began to dry up around the halfway mark. Pratika, well-set on 64, was dismissed soon after, followed by the cheap exit of captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Harleen kept the scoreboard ticking from her end and brought up her fifty, but fell stumped with ten overs remaining.

In the final stretch, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma made some vital contributions, adding quick runs to take India to a competitive 281/7 in 50 overs. Australia’s bowlers showed great discipline and fightback, especially after being dominated in the first 20 overs of the innings.

Litchfield Stars, Mooney Finishes as Australia Cruise to Comfortable Win

Chasing 282, Australia Women got off to a solid start, reaching 58/1 in the first 10 overs despite losing Alyssa Healy early. India introduced spin from the powerplay, but Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry handled it confidently, playing regular big shots and building a strong partnership. They brought up the 100-run mark without further damage, before Perry had to retire hurt due to a calf strain.

Beth Mooney joined Litchfield and kept the scoreboard ticking as Australia raced to 157/1 in 25 overs. India looked clueless, with dropped catches and lacklustre fielding making things worse. Sneh Rana did dismiss Litchfield after a well-made 88 off 80, denying her a century, but Mooney maintained control, with Annabel Sutherland providing excellent support at the other end. 

The duo shared a 116-run partnership, both scoring unbeaten half-centuries to take Australia over the line with more than five overs to spare. With the ball, Kranti Goud and Sneh Rana were the only bowlers to take a wicket each, while the rest of the Indian attack struggled to make an impact. India’s poor fielding, especially a day full of dropped catches, further let the team down.