After a week in the doldrums following an unsatisfying performance in the Test match, the Australian women’s cricket team roared back to form in the one-day international (ODI) format where they truly excel. Captained by Alyssa Healy, the Australian side outplayed India in the first ODI at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, December 28th, marking a striking return to their winning ways.
The start could hardly have been more dramatic. India’s Renulka Singh Thakur sent shockwaves through the Australian camp with a wicket in the very first over, the victim none other than the opposition skipper Healy. This wicket, with an air of inevitability akin to death and taxes, coupled with Sneh Rana’s spectacular catch at short-third, gave India a jolt of excitement. However, this was to be brief.
Undeterred, the veteran Ellyse Perry along with young sensation Phoebe Litchfield counter-attacked, knuckling down to thwart India’s buoyancy. Perry’s aggressive approach complemented Litchfield’s balanced defiance reminiscent of Meg Lanning’s playbook. The pair crafted a partnership that crept into the psyche of the Indian team and burgeoned into a considerable 100-run stand, with both batters achieving their fifties.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur toiled with her bowling changes, deploying Renuka, Pooja Vastrakar, Saika Ishaque alongside experienced spinners Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma to try and pierce the partnership. It was finally Deepti who managed to dissolve the 148-run association. Though perhaps Litchfield was dislodged a tad too late as a formidable lineup still awaited, with the likes of Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, and all-rounder Ashleigh Gardener next in line.
As Sneh sent Litchfield off the field, India glimpsed what perhaps seemed a ray of hope. But that was swiftly extinguished by McGrath and Mooney, who sewed an 88-run partnership, pulling the game even further from India’s reach. Vastrakar did remove Mooney eventually but by then the scales had tipped decidedly in Australia’s favor. McGrath’s blistering fifty only added salt to the wounds, and with Gardener’s steady presence, Australia’s triumph was etched.
Earlier in the day, the Indian batting lineup sans Smriti Mandhana struggled to find a cohesive batting order. Richa Ghosh took the No. 3 position while in-form Jemimah Rodrigues batted at No. 5. Rodrigues, whose golden touch currently seems position-agnostic, forged on after Yastika Bhatia’s lone fight of 49 runs at the top order. Even as the team teetered, Rodrigues teamed up with Pooja Vastrakar, and their spirited collaboration dispatched 68 runs in just nine overs, propelling India past the 250-run mark. Rodrigues narrowly missed a century, but Vastrakar persisted, ensuring India finished with a commendable, though not quite sufficient, score of 282.
Australia’s masterclass with the bat underscored their superiority, leaving India grappling for answers. As the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, it was evident that India’s competitive score was never out of reach for the Australian contingent. Their clinical performance testified to their relentless quest for excellence, a response to any doubts cast by their recent Test match hiccup. Australia’s illuminated path demonstrates how setbacks pave the way for comebacks, setting the stage for a much-anticipated next encounter in this gripping series.
