Oz keep India under thumb
Mumbai, December 28
India succumbed to their sixth consecutive defeat and eighth in a row at home despite recording the highest-ever ODI total against Australia as the visitors registered a commanding six-wicket win in the first match here today.
Phoebe Litchfield (78) and Ellyse Perry (75) anchored the chase with a resolute 148-run stand for the second wicket as Australia replied with 285/4 in 46.3 overs to overhaul India’s 282/8 and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
As Litchfield and Perry fell in quick succession, Beth Mooney (42) and Tahlia McGrath (68 not out) flattened India with their 88-run stand for the fourth wicket off only 67 balls.
Australia got over the line with 21 balls to spare with none of the Indian bowlers able to make any impact.
India made a perfect start by dealing an early blow to Australia, who lost Alyssa Healy (0) in the first over when Sneh Rana flew to her left to take an acrobatic catch off Renuka Thakur.
But India could not capitalise on the initial success as Australia ran away with the game, aided by some ordinary effort in the field from the hosts. For that matter, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s ‘golden’ arm could also not come to the rescue of the side on a placid wicket as she conceded 32 runs without a wicket.
Brief scores: India: 282/8 in 50 overs (Rodrigues 82, Vastrakar 62*; Wareham 2/55, Gardner 2/63); Australia: 285/4 in 46.3 overs (Litchfield 78, Perry 75, McGrath 68*, Mooney 42).
