India look to draw level against Oz

The opening match of its ODI series against Australia ended up being an eye-opener for the Indian women’s team in the final phase of its preparations for the upcoming ICC World Cup.

Dropped catches let Australia — who will be India’s toughest opponents apart from England in the World Cup — off the hook as they managed to finish the task of chasing 282 with ease.

The Indian team will try to forget its mistakes and focus on the positives as it looks to level the series here on Wednesday. “I am not saying we were on the back foot. However, the last match was an off day,” said Deepti Sharma during the pre-match conference. “Yes, we did miss some chances, four dropped catches and other mistakes. It is all part of the game but we are taking things forward in a good direction. It’s not that we can be an unchallenging team, our recent results speak a lot but that was just one off day. The playing conditions were good.”

While the top-order played well with contributions from Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana and Hareen Deol, the defence of a competitive total remained an area of concern.

“We, as a team, played well in the opener. I hope we follow the same pace,” said Australia batter Beth Mooney. “We read them (spinners) well, and the pitch was also good. I think we still have a good time left for the World Cup.”