Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], October 12 : An instant classic century by skipper Alyssa Healy and top cameos from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner helped Australia beat India by three wickets, chasing down 331 runs, the highest-ever target in the history of women's ODI cricket.
In pursuit of 331 runs, Healy smashed a 107-ball 142, with 21 fours and three sixes, which is the highest score in a run-chase against India.
Australia have outdone Sri Lanka, who chased down 302 against South Africa last year. With this win, Australia is at the top of the table, having won three matches and drawn one in four games. India, after starting its campaign with wins over Sri Lanka and arch-rivals Pakistan, has slipped to two losses against South Africa and Australia and now sits in third spot.
Healy started off proceedings with an 85-run stand to lay down the partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (40 in 39 balls, with six fours and a six). After Shree Charani (3/41) removed Litchfield, Perry came at number three but retired hurt with the score at 154/1. India made a brief inroad in the match, as Deepti Sharma removed Beth Mooney (4) and Charani got Annabel Sutherland (0).
However, Healy got able support from Ashleigh Gardner (45 in 46 balls, with three fours and a six), taking the Aussies past the 260-run mark. When Charani got Healy at a score of 265, it injected new life into the Indian team, who reduced the Aussies to 303/7 in 45.1 overs.
The experienced Perry (47* in 52 balls, with five fours and a six) returned to bat and finished the match with Kim Garth (14* in 13 balls, with two fours). Perry sealed the game with a six, with an over left.
Earlier, the Australian women's team won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Openers Pratika Rawal (75 in 96 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Mandhana (80 in 66 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) laid down the platform with an incredible 155-run stand for the opening wicket. However, India could not capitalise on it a lot as a five-wicket haul from Annabel Sutherland (5/40) and Sophie Molineux (3/75) managed to take regular wickets later on.
After exploits from Mandhana-Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, the skipper (22 in 17 balls, with three fours), Jemimah Rodrigues (33 in 21 balls, with five fours), and Richa Ghosh (32 in 22 balls, with three fours and two sixes) walked the talk with an attacking approach but could not convert their starts to milestones as Sutherland and Molineux took India from 234/2 in 36.2 overs to 330 all out in 48.5 overs.
The left-hander Mandhana became the fifth player and second Indian to have reached 5,000 runs in women's ODI, scoring 5,000 runs so far in 112 matches and innings at an average of 47.37, with 13 centuries and 33 fifties. At the age of 29 years and 68 days, she is the youngest to reach the milestone and the fastest to get there in terms of innings (112) and balls faced (5,569), bettering Stafanie Taylor (129 innings) and Suzie Bates (6,182 balls), respectively.
Having already broken Aussie legend Belinda Clark's record of 970 runs, once the highest in a calendar year in women's ODIs during the previous clash against South Africa, Mandhana became the first-ever player to cross the 1,000-run mark in a calendar year. This year, she has been fantastic, with 1,062 runs in 18 matches and innings at an average of 59.00 and a strike rate of 112.85, with four centuries and four fifties.
Her last five innings against Australia are: 105, 58, 117, 125 and now 80, making her the only batter to register five consecutive 50-plus scores against Australia Women in ODIs.
106* runs is the highest opening stand against Australia in World Cups, bettering 101 runs added by England's E Bakewell & D Thomas in the inaugural World Cup back in 1973.
The Mandhana-Rawal pair keeps on giving, having registered six century stands (in 21 innings) for India (for any wickets), the second-highest next to seven between Mithali Raj and Punam Raut (34 innings).
They have had a four-century partnership in this calendar year, the second-most by a pair in a calendar year, with the top pair being Belinda and Lisa Keightley (Australia) (five in the 2000s).
This is the highest total for India in the Women's Cricket World Cup, surpassing their 317/8 against the West Indies in 2022 at Hamilton.
Annabel Sutherland also reached a personal milestone by taking her 50th wicket in Women's ODIs, finishing with career-best figures of 5/40 in this match and becoming the first player to take a five-wicket haul in women's ODI on her birthday.
Brief Scores: India: 330 (Smriti Mandhana 80, Pratika Rawal 75, Annabel Sutherland 5/40) lost to Australia: 331/7 (Alyssa Healy 142, Ellyse Perry 47*, Shree Charani 3/41).
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