On November 7 at the Wankhede Stadium, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell redefined the meaning of resilience when he fought cramps and the sweltering Mumbai humidity to score an unbeaten 128-ball 201 against Afghanistan in the World Cup to guide his team to a win.
A month and a half later, at the same venue, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues and Australia’s Ellyse Perry did something similar, fighting the challenge of cramps and physical discomfort to help their team’s cause.
AS IT HAPPENED: India vs Australia highlights 1st ODI
This time too, the Aussies came out on top, with the women in green and gold beating India by six wickets in the first ODI to take the lead in the three-match series here on Thursday.
Shoddy fielding put the Indians on the backfoot early on, and against a batting lineup as deep as Australia’s, India was potentially 20-odd runs short.
Perry, Litchfield dominate
Chasing 283 to win, skipper Alyssa Healy spent just two minutes on the field, falling to Renuka Singh after Sneh Rana took a brilliant catch at short third.
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Perry and Phoebe Litchfield then frustrated the Indians with a 148-run stand in 150 balls for the second wicket.
Perry, a usually sturdy athlete in demanding conditions, struggled with cramps, but her scoring rate remained unaffected.
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Litchfield, who was the subject of several stinging chants from the Garware Pavilion where the fans were seated, sent a stunning six down the ground, with the ball landing near the stand between a broadcast camera and the official operating it.
Deepti Sharma gave India the breakthrough, removing Perry for 75 as she tried to send the ball flying over long on. Litchfield fell soon after attempting to sweep Rana, with the ball knocking off her leg stump.
Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath’s 88-run stand put Australia in a commanding position. McGrath scored her third fifty of the tour against India to seal the win with more than three overs to spare.
Mandhana misses out
With Smriti Mandhana missing the fixture due to ill health, Yastika Bhatia opened alongside Shafali Verma after India opted to bat.
Darcie Brown removed Shafali early, with the ball tearing through her defence and onto the stumps. After a positive start, Richa Ghosh fell for 21.
Skipper Harmanpreet looked in good touch, especially when she reverse swept Ashleigh Gardner to perfection, sending the ball fine to the boundary.
However, she and Yastika made the long walk to the pavilion soon after being dismissed by Garner and Georgia Wareham, respectively.
Jemimah struggled with cramps and threw up a few times while batting, but her defiant half-century anchored India to a respectable total. She fell for 82, her second-highest score in the format, with 4.2 overs left in the Indian innings.
Jemimah (L) struggled with cramps and threw up a few times while batting | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/ The Hindu
Pooja then made a case for why she should be promoted up the order after she went at T20 pace.
India added 32 runs in the remaining deliveries to finish with 282/8 on the board.
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