Australia completed a clean sweep with an 83-run win over India in the third ODI at the WACA Ground, Perth, securing the three-match series 3-0. Annabel Sutherland’s century, Tahlia McGrath’s counter-attacking fifty, and Ashleigh Gardner’s all-round brilliance took the game away from Harmanpreet Kaur’s team. Smriti Mandhana’s century went in vain as India collapsed at the end, losing their last seven wickets for just 26 runs.
Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bowl first. Priya Mishra, who conceded 88 runs in the previous game, was dropped, along with injured opener Priya Punia. Titas Sadhu and Arundhati Reddy made it into the playing XI. Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield gave Australia a solid start with a 58-run opening stand. Arundhati struck twice in the 11th over, dismissing both openers. She continued her excellent spell, removing Ellyse Perry (4) and Beth Mooney (10). At 78/4, Australia was in trouble, and India seemed in control.
However, Sutherland and Gardner showed great composure. They steadied the innings with a 96-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Deepti Sharma dismissed Gardner for 50, but then skipper McGrath joined Sutherland. Together, they added 122 runs for the sixth wicket. Sutherland reached her third ODI century, scoring 110 before being dismissed. She became the first Australian to score a WODI century batting at No. 5 or lower. McGrath remained unbeaten on 56 off 50 balls, helping Australia finish at 298/6 in 50 overs despite the early setbacks.
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Arundhati Reddy was the standout bowler for India, taking four wickets for 26 runs. It was the third-best figure by a visiting bowler against Australia in WODIs. Other bowlers, including Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Minnu Mani, and Renuka Singh, went wicketless. Deepti Sharma took one wicket but was expensive, conceding 77 runs in nine overs at an economy rate of 8.55.
India had a chance to seize the game after reducing Australia to 78/4. However, loose bowling and dropped catches allowed the Australian batters to make a comeback. Questions arose about Harmanpreet’s leadership and whether she had backup plans when things did not go as expected.
In the chase, Richa Ghosh opened but managed only two runs. Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol looked promising, adding 118 runs for the second wicket. Australia’s fielding was sloppy, with several missed chances. Harleen fell for 39, leaving fans hoping for contributions from Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues. Unfortunately, both fell cheaply—Harmanpreet scored 12 off 22 balls, and Jemimah added 16 off 11.
Smriti brought up her ninth ODI century but was dismissed soon after, scoring 105 off 109 balls. Gardner claimed her wicket, dismissing her for the fifth time in WODIs—the most by any bowler against Smriti in this format. India’s score of 189/3 quickly turned into 189/6 after losing three wickets in quick succession. The remaining batters added only 26 runs, and India was bowled out for 215 in 45.1 overs.
Australia won by 83 runs, completing the clean sweep. Gardner excelled with the ball, claiming a five-wicket haul. Sutherland was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series for her exceptional all-round performance, scoring 122 runs and taking six wickets in the series.
Brief Scores: Australia 298/6 in 50 overs (Annabel Sutherland 110, Arundhati Reddy 4/26) defeat India 215 all-out in 45.1 overs (Smriti Mandhana 105, Ashleigh Gardner 5/30) by 83 runs
Also Read: Voll and Perry star as Australia crush India to seal series