Australia’s women’s cricket team secured a dominant victory over India in their One Day International (ODI) on Sunday, surpassing a target of 400 runs and taking the lead in the multi-format series. Beth Mooney’s blistering century, supported by a powerful finish from Nicola Carey, propelled the hosts to a commanding total.
Mooney reached her century off just 84 balls, hitting 10 fours and a six, while Carey smashed an unbeaten 34 from 15 deliveries. The partnership between the two proved crucial in ensuring Australia exceeded the 400-run mark. “It was a pleasure to be out there with her,” Mooney told Channel 7 about her partnership with Carey. “I’ve seen that a few times in her career… Wherever they bowl the ball she seems to find a way to get the ball to the ropes. To finish like that I hope she looks back and is really proud of her career. To be able to do that in her last ODI is unreal.”
The Indian bowling attack struggled to contain the Australian batters, with Rana and Sree Charani each taking two wickets. However, a notable fielding effort came from Kashvee Gautam, who secured an excellent catch on the boundary to dismiss Tahlia McGrath for two.
Earlier in the day, Australia made changes to their lineup, with Lucy Hamilton named for her debut, replacing Megan Schutt, who is ill. Georgia Wareham as well came into the side, replacing Darcie Brown. India responded with three changes of their own, bringing in Renuka Thakur, Harleen Deol, and Rana in place of Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, and Vaishnavi Sharma.
Australia entered Sunday’s match leading the multi-format series 6-4. Having lost the T20 series 2-1, the Australian team has now won both of the ODIs played so far.
In a separate development, Australia announced that all-rounder Kim Garth will return home to continue her rehabilitation from a quad injury. While Garth is yet to resume bowling, she is expected to rejoin the team in Western Australia ahead of the Test match commencing on March 6.
The Australian team featured Alyssa Healy (capt), Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Nicola Carey, Alana King, and Lucy Hamilton. The Indian side consisted of Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Kashvee Gautam, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, and Renuka Singh Thakur.
