Brisbane, February 24 – Despite fifties from Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, India struggled with their batting against Australia in the first one-day international of the three-match series. The Indian team was bowled out for 214 runs in 48.3 overs, with the Australian bowlers dominating the game at Allan Border Field on Tuesday.
India began their innings under challenging circumstances when Pratika Rawal was dismissed lbw off the first ball of the match, followed by Shafali Verma, who was dismissed off a return catch from Darcie Brown. At 31/2 in the eighth over, India relied heavily on Mandhana to stabilize the innings.
However, just when India seemed to be recovering, the momentum shifted. Ashleigh Gardner dismissed Jemimah Rodrigues, who was out after scoring 8 off 13 deliveries.
Mandhana initially struggled but soon found her rhythm, playing elegant drives and powerful pulls. She completed a half-century off 61 balls, helping stabilize India's innings amidst the pressure from Australia's disciplined bowling attack.
However, the pressure continued, and Tahlia McGrath dismissed Mandhana for 58 with a brilliant catch at fine leg. Alana King further increased the pressure, dismissing Deepti Sharma in the next over, leaving half of India's batting lineup back in the pavilion.
By the 35th over, India's situation worsened even with captain Harmanpreet Kaur at the crease. Despite struggling to find her rhythm, she remained on 33 off 59 balls, while Richa Ghosh tried to contribute at the other end.
Ghosh was eventually dismissed by Sophie Molineux in the 33rd over, caught by Georgia Voll at backward point for 23 off 38 balls. Voll made a superb diving effort, but Ghosh couldn't keep the ball down.
Kashvee Gautam came in next and played cautiously. India were 145/6 in the 35th over, with Harmanpreet still battling, but with little support. Australia's bowlers, especially Molineux and Alana King, continued to put pressure on India.
King, who had been excellent with the ball, maintained a tight line, taking the key wicket of Ghosh and limiting India's scoring. She had a close LBW appeal against Gautam, but bowled an excellent over, making the ball kick up from the pitch. Meanwhile, Molineux's steady bowling kept India's scoring rate slow.
As the game progressed, India faced a difficult situation. With just 15 overs left, Harmanpreet needed to anchor the innings and rely on the lower order to achieve a near-impossible recovery. Australia's tight bowling and fielding had put them in control, with India needing a substantial partnership to even think about challenging the target.
The Indian captain raised her bat after scoring her 23rd ODI fifty, also her sixth against the Aussies, providing the impetus that India desperately needed.
The turning point came when Gardner dismissed Harmanpreet, with Voll making an excellent diving catch, which significantly impacted India's innings. This was the seventh time the Australian all-rounder had dismissed the Indian captain in international cricket.
With India lacking a strong batter in the lower order, the remaining batsmen crumbled as Gardner struck for a third time when she returned to bowl her next over, as the visitors lost their eighth wicket when Kranti Gaud handed one straight into the hands of Sophie Molineux.
Shree Charani's stay on the field was also cut short by Schutt, who returned to pick her second scalp of the day. Kashvee Gautam continued to play well with the bat but was eventually run out in the penultimate over of the innings as India were bowled out for 214 runs.
Brief Scores: India 214/10 in 48.3 overs (Smriti Mandhana 58, Harmanpreet Kaur 53; Ashleigh Gardner 3-33, Megan Schutt 2-42) against Australia.
