By Trisha Ghosal in Mullanpur
India were off to a strong start with Smriti Mandhana finding boundaries and Pratika Rawal batting cautiously. The openers were cruising, Australia looked clueless, and India reached 75 for no loss in 13 overs at the first drinks break. But the Australians regrouped, changed their plans, brought fielders in, and successfully squeezed the runs.
From the outset, there had been confusion in India’s running between the wickets. Pratika was eager to push for runs, while Smriti was reluctant to take half chances. With boundaries drying up, the batters were forced to rely on quick singles to keep the scoreboard ticking. Smriti brought up her 32nd ODI fifty, but soon after, she hit towards extra cover and called for a run. Pratika stayed ball-watching, did not respond, and a brilliant direct throw from Phoebe Litchfield broke the opening stand.
This has been a recurring pattern with Pratika. She is consistent but tends to consume dot balls. With Harleen Deol joining her at No. 3, the dots mounted. Harleen is a batter who needs 15–20 deliveries to settle in. During that phase, Pratika reached her fifty but became scratchy and, attempting to go big, holed out.
In came captain Harmanpreet Kaur, playing her 150th ODI in front of the home crowd. She looked in good touch before Annabel Sutherland trapped her in the crease with an off-cutter. After Harman’s dismissal, Harleen shifted gears and raced to a quickfire fifty. But another cutter – this time a leg-cutter from Megan Schutt – found her out of position, and a sharp stumping by Alyssa Healy ended her stay. Healy’s reflexes behind the stumps this innings will reassure the Australian think-tank about her ‘keeping fitness.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh then came together, and the 43rd over delivered pure drama. A no-ball saved Richa, the free hit was sent for a six, another no-ball followed, and Richa cracked a boundary. Tahlia McGrath leaked crucial runs, yet in the same over, Jemimah fell. In just six deliveries, 15 runs and a wicket changed the tone.
With Jemimah gone, Richa and Deepti Sharma had to rebuild. Both being slow runners between the wickets, India depended on Richa’s power hitting to inch closer to 300 – a target that had looked within reach when the openers dominated. Richa struck a few boundaries but was caught at deep mid-wicket by Ashleigh Gardner off Schutt while trying to lift a low full toss.
The innings progression showed where India lost their grip. They ended on 281/7 in 50 overs, aided by cameos from Deepti and Radha Yadav. India, 55 for no loss in the first 10 overs, added 152 for 3 in overs 11-40, but managed only 74 for 4 in the final 10. The outfield was slow, but Australia’s relentless fielding restricted runs further. Crucially, India wasted opportunities by failing to rotate the strike, with as many as 50% of deliveries faced being dot balls.
Australia used eight bowlers in short three-to-four over bursts to ensure freshness. In the steaming Mullanpur heat, that proved effective. Dew is expected to set in during the second innings, quickening the outfield and making it harder for spinners to grip the ball. India have a testing task ahead, but Australia will also need to battle fatigue in their chase of 282.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news