Mullanpur, Sep 14 (UNI) India Women put together a most respectable 281 for seven in their 50 overs against Australia in the opening one-day international at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here today.
Having won the toss, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side decided, quite rightly, to have first use of a sunny pitch, and Smriti Mandhana looked all silk and timing as she stroked her way to a sparkling 58 with six boundaries and two sixes before being rather unluckily run out by Phoebe Litchfield’s sharp throw.
Alongside her, young Pratika Rawal — cool as you like — compiled a measured 64, keeping things steady while the spectators basked in the warmth.
There were moments of genuine sparkle as the innings unfolded. Mandhana raised her fifty with a sweep off Wareham and followed it with a towering six off Sutherland, while Rawal drove and pulled with poise, even bringing up her maiden ODI half-century with a neat single to sweeper cover. Their stand of 114 set up India splendidly.
Harleen Deol then provided a delightful burst of strokeplay, her 54 from 57 balls including a pair of sixes off King and Wareham and some glorious off-side drives.
Skipper Harmanpreet briefly lit up the arena with a top-edged six but soon perished lbw to Annabel Sutherland for 11.
Australia’s bowlers clawed back in the middle overs. Pratika fell to a slogsweep caught at deep mid-wicket, Harleen was stumped advancing to Schutt, and Jemimah Rodrigues miscued a pull off McGrath after cutting and nudging her way to 18.
Richa Ghosh, though, counterattacked merrily, lofting McGrath for a free-hit six over long-off and carving fours through cover before holing out to Ashleigh Gardner at deep mid-wicket for 25.
As the innings entered its twilight, the India tail wagged with considerable cheer. Radha Yadav peppered the boundary ropes — a punch through cover off Garth, a deft late-cut, and an inside-out drive that threaded the gap between diving fielders — en route to a lively 19. She eventually picked out Ellyse Perry at long-on off Garth in the 49th over, having tried to clear the ropes once too often.
Deepti Sharma, calmness personified, finished matters in style: she first pulled Garth’s slower off-cutter wide of backward square, then, with the final delivery of the innings, skipped down the track and sent a straight drive racing past long-on for four, taking India beyond the 280-mark to warm applause. Shree Charani, unbeaten on two, played the perfect supporting role.
Australia’s attack shared the spoils: Megan Schutt’s clever variations earned her 2 for 45, while Kim Garth claimed Radha at the death and kept her nerve. Alana King, Tahlia McGrath and Sutherland each prised out important scalps, and the spinners extracted just enough turn to keep batters watchful.
All told, it was a splendidly balanced innings — not a runaway train but a carefully constructed procession of partnerships, crowned by Deepti’s flourish. With 282 now required under lights, one fancies Deepti and Radha will be licking their lips at the prospect of bowling on a surface that might just slow a touch as the evening wears on. It promises to be a most charming chase, my dear old things!
