Trisha Ghosal in Mullanpur
Australia’s batting depth, India’s dropped catches, missed chances and a failed bowling plan summed up the match. India are still unable to find a way to defeat Australia at home.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, India were off to a solid start, with both openers reaching 50s. But once Smriti Mandhana was run out after a horrible mix-up, the Indian innings went off the rails. Harleen Deol’s quickfire 50 and small contributions from Richa Ghosh, Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma took India to 281/7 in the first ODI.
Australia’s openers Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield came out to bat. In the second over itself, Jemimah Rodrigues, one of the better fielders, dropped a straightforward chance off Sneh Rana’s bowling. Litchfield made India pay dearly for it. But the fielders didn’t stop there. They went on to drop three more catches, one by the captain herself, again off Litchfield when she was on 56.
Arundhati Reddy, on as a substitute, managed to hold on to one and Litchfield was eventually dismissed for 88. She played a brilliant knock, mixing her switch hits with deft wristwork to clear the field.
Captain Healy gave Australia a brisk start before chopping on to Kranti Goud. But the Indian bowlers struggled to take wickets, and with no help for spinners on offer, Australia’s batters — good players of spin — had little difficulty in chasing the target.
India now need to rethink their four-spinner strategy. They also need to stop focusing only on hitting boundaries and instead rotate the strike. Australia even managed to run threes, while India looked reluctant.
Ellyse Perry came in at No. 3, and though she looked rusty at the start, she eventually got going before retiring hurt with cramps — hardly surprising in the heat. Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland then joined forces, both reaching their 50s and steering Australia home in 44.1 overs with 35 balls to spare.
India have plenty to address. On flat tracks they must identify wicket-takers, their batters need to sustain momentum, and the fielders must support the bowlers. With two more games left in the series, captain Harmanpreet and her side still have time to fix these concerns.
Australia, meanwhile, will be delighted — playing ODIs for the first time in seven months and winning convincingly. All their bowlers had a chance to contribute, and their batters responded with half-centuries. But the heat will remain a challenge, and they too need answers on how to break India’s opening partnership.
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