Beth Mooney put on a batting masterclass as her majestic 138 off 75 balls alongside contributions from other batters powered Australia to 412. It could have been a lot worse for India, but a flurry of wickets at the end helped India keep Australia down to 412 where 450 was possible at one stage. Ellyse Perry played well for her 68 as well after the openers set the tone earlier.
A hard day for the Indian bowlers as most of them went the distance. They did well to bowl Australia out with a flurry of wickets, but damage was done already for India who now have a massive target in front of them. Australia very much the favourites to win this match and hammer India in all facets of the game.
Ellyse Perry reached her fifty and alongside Beth Mooney drove Australia forward
Radha Yadav came back into the attack as Mooney hit her through deep backward square leg for a boundary. Renuka Singh Thakur returned and Mooney hit her for two boundaries in 3 balls. Perry soon reached her fifty in 55 balls which was her 36th ODI fifty with a boundary through covers. The 200 came up for Australia in 27.1 overs. Mooney smashed a maximum over the bowler’s head for the maximum.
Thakur bowled a relatively tight over as Australia reached 213/2 in 29 overs when umpires called for the Drinks Break.
Perry fell for 68, Beth Mooney powered her way to a century to put Australia in a commanding position after 40 overs.Â
Arundhati Reddy came back into the attack after the Break. Beth Mooney drove her through the off-side for a boundary. Mooney soon reached her fifty in 31 balls, which was her 20th ODI fifty. Perry then used her feet and launched it over the bowler’s head for the maximum off Sneh Rana. Deepti Sharma returned to the attack as Beth Mooney swivelled to pull it away to vacant deep backward square leg region for a boundary. Mooney hit another boundary by slogging it away wide of long-on for a boundary.
Perry then joined in the fun as he came down the track and hit between covers and extra covers for a boundary. Arundhati returned to the attack. Beth Mooney punched her past backward point region for a boundary. The 100 run stand came up between the two players. The 250 came up for Australia in 32.3 overs. Beth Mooney then hit her over mid-on for a boundary. Reddy then got a wicket against the run of play as Ellyse Perry fell for 68 off 72 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes to her name.
Reddy bowled a good length delivery on the stumps, Perry planted her front leg and went for a lofted drive down the ground. She checked her shot and ended up getting it off the inner half in front of long-on. Goud from the boundary ran in hard and dived to complete an excellent catch. Ashleigh Gardner came out to bat next.
Sneh Rana came back into the attack as Gardner survived a close run out chance at the striker’s end. Deepti continued as Beth Mooney hit her for a boundary in front of square and the bowler overstepped. The free hit yielded a single only. Beth Mooney then hit Reddy for a boundary through short fine leg. Gardner joined in the fun as she crunched Reddy through the covers for a boundary. Goud returned as Mooney innovated by ramping it over the keeper for a boundary. Mooney hit another boundary through the fine leg region. Beth Mooney square drove it firmly to the point region for a boundary.
Radha Yadav returned to the attack. Beth Mooney got to her 9th ODI ton and she got there in 57 balls with a boundary through short fine leg. The 300 came up for Australia as well in 37.1 overs.Beth Mooney then slogged Radha away for a boundary to deep midwicket. Gardner hit Radha up and over covers for a boundary as the 50-run stand came up between the two players. Renuka returned and was greeted with a boundary through deep square leg.
Gardner hit Reddy next for the maximum over midwicket and a boundary through deep midwicket. Mooney too joined in the fun as she hit over square leg for a boundary. After 40 overs, Australia were 334/3 and looking good to score big.
Late wickets lift India, but Australia finished with 412 in 47.5 overs.Â
Gardner hit Thakur for a boundary through mid-off. But Thakur hit back and got rid of Gardner for 39 off 24 balls with 5 fours and a maximum to her name. She bowled a full length delivery outside off-stump and failed to get underneath climbing down the track. She heaved it hard down the ground but mistimed the stroke to Radha Yadav at long-off who settled underneath it and took the catch. Tahlia McGrath came to the crease and got off the mark with a brace.
Beth Mooney hit Thakur for back-to-back boundaries through covers and backward square leg region. Sneh Rana returned and bowled a decent over. Beth Mooney hit Deepti Sharma for a boundary through deep midwicket region. Beth Mooney then hit Rana for a boundary through third man region. Tahlia McGrath joined in the fun as she hit Rana for a boundary towards third man. Beth Mooney hit Rana for a boundary through deep midwicket region.
Tahlia eventually fell for 14 off 13 balls with a boundary to her name. Full length delivery from Deepti on the leg stump line, McGrath looked to play the reverse sweep and was struck on the back knee. She reviewed in hope and saw Umpire’s call on hitting the stumps. Grace Harris was the next batter in. Then in the next ball Beth Mooney fell for a magnificent 138 off 75 balls with 23 fours and a six to her name via a run out with a miscommunication between her and Harris led her to downfall as she fell to a standing ovation. Georgia Wareham came to the crease next. She got off the mark.
Harris then fell for 1 off 2 balls to Deepti Sharma. She bowled a full length ball on the off-stump line, Harris got behind it and looked to punch it straight down the ground but failed to keep it down and away from the bowler. Deepti hurled her left hand towards the ball and somehow the ball stuck in her hands. Alana King came out to bat next. Australia were 380/7 in 45 overs.
Reddy returned and bowled a decent over. Wareham smashed Thakur for a boundary over covers. She then launched Thakur over long-on down the ground for the maximum. Wareham then dismissed Wareham for 16 off 9 balls with one four and one six to her name. Thakur bowled slower delivery on a good length outside the off-stump line. Wareham went back in the crease and looked to clear the infield over extra cover. She mistimed the shot due to lack of pace and picked up Kaur at extra covers. Kim Garth came out to bat next as the 400 came up for Australia in 46.4 overs. King hit another boundary off Thakur through backward point region.
Reddy then dismissed Garth for 1 off 2 balls. She bowled a full length delivery on the off-stump line. Garth didn’t get room to hit it down the ground. She tried to manufacture a shot and hit it straight back down the track. Reddy got her hands to the ball in her follow through and completed the catch. Megan Schutt came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. King hit Reddy for a boundary through the deep midwicket region. Reddy then dismissed King for 12 off 7 balls with 2 fours to her name.
Reddy bowled a length ball pitched outside the off-stump. King failed to get underneath it and cleared her front leg and slogged across the line. She heaved the ball high in the air and found Sneh Rana at deep midwicket who made no mistake as Australia were bowled out for a historic 412 in 47.5 overs. Megan Schutt remained unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 11 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a hard toil for the Indian bowlers getting smashed for runs. Arundhati Reddy picked up 3/86 in 8.5 overs. Kranti Goud got a wicket for 56 runs in 6 overs. Renuka Singh Thakur finished with 2/79 in 9 overs. Sneh Rana finished with 1/68 in 10 overs. Deepti Sharma finished with 2/75 in 10 overs. Radha Yadav finished with 48 runs in 4 overs. The target for India will be 413 runs off 50 overs to complete an improbable chase and win a historic series against Australia.
What Lies Ahead
Despite the late wickets that enabled India to bowl out Australia for 412, the Aussies are in total control of this game. Make no mistake about it. It is Australia’s highest score against India and joint highest ever. They have dominated India and we expect the same to continue in the second innings. It will take a herculean task for India to even make a match out of this game. Australia should win this game easily and the series 2-1.
Let’s see how the chase unfold and whether we get a close contest or not. Australia on top in New Delhi at the interval.
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