Trisha Ghosal in Delhi
Under the hot Delhi sun, Moons shone the brightest. Beth Mooney, affectionately called Moons by her teammates, played a brilliant innings. From the word go, she made her intentions clear. Off just the third ball she faced, she danced down the track to Deepti Sharma and lofted her over mid-off for four. That was the first ominous sign, and she never looked back.
Earlier in the day, Australian captain Alyssa Healy won the toss and chose to bat on a flat Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch. Healy and Georgia Voll came out with a clear plan to attack. With a lightning-fast outfield and Indian fielders guilty of early lapses, Australia got the perfect start. Though Healy fell in the fifth over, she had already set the tone with 30 off 18 balls before Kranti Goud dismissed her for the third time in as many matches this series.
Ellyse Perry then walked in with time to build her innings as Voll took charge. Having been undone by the pull shot last game, Voll was peppered with short balls by the Indian bowlers but this time made them count, racing to 81 off 68. When she finally departed, Australia were 150/2 in 21.1 overs. That was when the Mooney storm was about to hit.
Mooney came, she saw, she conquered. Her innings was a masterclass, with almost every stroke in the book — drive, cut, scoop — you name it, she played it. India’s bowlers hardly helped their own cause, overstepping for no balls, while the fielders compounded matters with sloppy ground work. It begs the question: why did India opt for a complete rest day instead of at least one fielding session?
The lone standout for India was Sneh Rana. Using variations, she stayed calm amidst the onslaught, adjusting line, length and pace with maturity. In a run-fest, she returned figures of 1/68 in her 10 overs — the most respectable among the bowlers. But India’s bigger problem persisted: under pressure, the think tank once again failed to devise a Plan B or C.
Australia finished with their joint highest-ever total in women’s ODIs, the 412/3 they posted against Denmark back in 1997 — a game remembered for Belinda Clark’s historic 229*, the first double century in ODI cricket, men’s or women’s. Mooney registered her career-best ODI score of 138, surpassing her previous best of 137.
The Arun Jaitley Stadium crowd was vocal throughout, cheering loudly even when India were on the receiving end. As the sun dipped and the stands filled, every dot ball, every wicket, drew applause. Mooney’s hurricane ended with a tame run-out after a misfield and mix-up. Deepti’s final over went for just three runs, and in that spell Australia lost three wickets — including Mooney’s dismissal and a brilliant one-handed catch by Deepti to remove Grace Harris. That briefly checked the scoring rate before Australia closed on 412 in 47.5 overs.
India now face an Everest to climb if they are to win the series. The crowd in Delhi will hope the hosts fight back. With the pitch still flat and runs on offer, the question remains: how much can India chase down?
Also Read: Five Positives for India from Historic Win Over Australia in Mullanpur
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz