Perth, March 7 – Annabel Sutherland's unbeaten 93 and Ellyse Perry's composed 76 put Australia in a commanding position on the second day of the one-off pink-ball Test against India, as the hosts reached 217/4 in 58 overs at tea, with a lead of 19 runs at the WACA Ground on Saturday.
Resuming from 96/3, Australia dominated the morning session as Ellyse and Annabel consolidated their overnight stand. Both reached their respective half-centuries with authority and kept the scoreboard ticking against India's attack under intense heat.
Ellyse, who last scored fifty in July 2023, looked set for a century before being dismissed lbw off Deepti Sharma's delivery after the review. Her dismissal came after she surpassed 1,000 career Test runs, overtaking Karen Rolton to become Australia's leading run-scorer in the format and the first woman to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 30 wickets in Tests.
Annabel, dropped on 90 by wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, continued with confidence and is close to her fourth Test century. Beth Mooney, who survived twice early in her innings – once at silly point and again in the slips – provided crucial support and remained not out on 19.
Their 128-run partnership ensured that Australia not only surpassed India's first-innings score of 198, but also gained a lead in the game with six wickets in hand. India's spinners struggled to extract turn from the surface, while the seamers found little penetration.
Missed chances in the field added to their frustration, as India now find themselves under pressure to strike regularly in the second session and prevent Australia from gaining a commanding lead.
Brief Scores: India 198 in 62.4 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 52; Annabel Sutherland 4-46) behind Australia 217/4 in 58 overs (Annabel Sutherland 93 not out, Ellyse Perry 76; Sayali Satghare 2-38, Deepti Sharma) by 19 runs
