India may be hosting Australia in a multi-format tour here this month but it was the latter which looked thoroughly at home in its six-wicket win over India at the Wankhede Stadium this week.
The seven-time world champion shook off the heartache of the Test loss with an all-round showing against India, which came second best despite registering its highest total against this opponent.
The Women in Blue missed the services of Smriti Mandhana, who did not feature in the game due to illness. Shafali Verma looked patchy at best during her short stay at the crease with her inability to land a shot clean proving to be her undoing as she was bowled by Darcie Brown.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh, too could not capitalise on starts, finding themselves back in the hunt in quick succession. It took an unwell Jemimah Rodrigues to partner Yastika Bhatia and small partnerships between Jemimah and Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar to give the Indian innings some bulk against a star-studded Aussie lineup.
Fielding coach Munish Bali suggested that the team should ‘control+alt+delete’ the first game and start fresh in the second ODI on Saturday. That might be easier said than done. India had its moments on the field, but those were few.
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Boundaries were permitted too easily, plenty of misfields dotted good overs and no scoring pressure was applied on the Australians, who sealed the game with 21 balls to spare.
The side showed marked improvements in the field during the two red ball fixtures against England and Australia and will hope to channel the same energy in the white ball fixtures that remain.
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Australia was able to restrict batting partnerships to a large extent, with Yastika, Jemimah and Pooja managing most resistance. Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham were the pick of the bowlers, with two wickets each, but almost every other Australian bowler found success against the Indians.
Jemimah has had a brilliant 2023 so far with 796 international runs and will want to add to that tally in the side’s last game of the year at the same venue on Saturday. Aussie vice-captain Tahlia McGrath is in the middle of a similar purple patch, scoring fifties in every batting innings against India so far in the tour.
Both will hope to continue in the same vein.
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