Australia Beat India by 8 Wickets, Take 1-0 Lead

India’s recovery came through Harleen Deol (54), who struck a brisk fifty, and late cameos from Richa Ghosh (21), Radha Yadav (19), and Deepti Sharma (20). Despite reaching 281, lapses in the middle overs and the lack of a big finish left them at least 30 runs short of a commanding total.

Fielding Lapses Cost India Dear

India’s defense of 281 was undermined by shoddy fielding and dropped catches. Litchfield, who top-scored with 88, was dropped twice — first by Jemimah Rodrigues early in her innings and later by skipper Harmanpreet. Ellyse Perry (27) too benefited from a reprieve before retiring hurt with a calf strain.

Australia’s Chase – Calm and Clinical

Openers Alyssa Healy (16) and Litchfield provided a brisk start before Healy fell to debutant Kranti Goud. Perry and Litchfield then stitched a 79-run stand, ensuring the asking rate never climbed. After Perry’s retirement, Mooney seamlessly slotted in, combining with Litchfield for a 46-run stand before the latter fell for 88.

The unbroken 116-run partnership between Mooney and Sutherland sealed the chase with remarkable ease. Mooney raced to a 45-ball half-century, while Sutherland paced her innings smartly, raising her fifty off 47 balls. Together, they dismantled India’s spin attack and punished wayward pace bowling.

The contrast in middle-overs performance proved decisive: Australia scored 196/1 in 30 overs, while India managed only 152/3 in the same phase.

Brief Scores

• India: 281/7 in 50 overs (Pratika Rawal 64, Smriti Mandhana 58, Harleen Deol 54; Megan Schutt 2/45)

• Australia: 282/2 in 44.1 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 88, Beth Mooney 77*, Annabel Sutherland 54*)

Australia lead the three-match series 1-0, with the next ODI set to offer India an opportunity to bounce back.