Image Credit- AP
In the first of the three One-Day Internationals at
the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, Australia won 1-0 thanks to Ellyse Perry and
Phoebe Litchfield, who made India’s above-average score of 282 look less
dangerous. With Alyssa Healy out of the game in the opening over of the
innings, Litchfield and Perry scored 78 and 75 respectively, while Tahlia
McGrath made a crucial unbeaten 68 to help Australia achieve the second-highest
run chase in women’s One-Day International history.
This came after India defeated Australia with their
best ODI total thanks to a stylish 82 from Jemimah Rodrigues and a valiant 62
not out from Pooja Vastrakar at No. 9 on a steamy Mumbai afternoon.
Perry began off quickly to meet the necessary run pace
of 5.66, making her intentions obvious right away. With her 72-ball innings,
the all-rounder hit nine fours and two crisp sixes, and left-hander Litchfield
gave us a peek of Australia’s batting future with her calculated blow. To get
used to the conditions, Litchfield started the innings by just stroking. Once
at ease, she started to set boundaries with the sweep, reverse sweep, and back
foot punches. Litchfield struck eight boundaries and a six in her 89-ball
batting innings while playing in her 12th ODI, her first in India. After the
left-right pair combined for 148 runs in 150 balls, Deepti Sharma removed
Perry, but by then the foundation was well laid for the chase.
Earlier in the innings, after losing Shafali Verma,
Richa Ghosh, and Harmanpreet Kaur early on, India overcame early nerves. Vice
captain and opener Smriti Mandhana was conspicuously absent from their playing
eleven due to illness, making her unavailable for selection. But Australia did
not let any pair establish themselves until the eighth-wicket stand between
Rodrigues and Vastrakar. When asked to bowl first on a track offering turn, six
of the seven bowlers claimed at least one wicket apiece.
Vastrakar smashed seven fours and two sixes in her
46-ball knock, while Rodrigues smacked seven fours in her 77-ball stay.
Following Rodrigues’ removal in the 47th over, Vastrakar once again
demonstrated her ability to bat lower on the order as she smashed her way to
her fourth ODI fifty off 39 balls in the last over.
India amassed 82 runs in the last ten overs, perhaps
saving their best for last. But it was insufficient to overcome Australia
without Meg Lanning.