Australia's world record winning streak has been extended to 26 in the most dramatic circumstances.
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The India women’s cricket team and Australia women’s cricket team delivered an absolute thriller on Friday. It marked the second of the three-match ODI series being played between the two sides. For India, it was a do-or-die situation. The Aussies were already leading the series 1-0 and India had to win the match to stay alive. Unfortunately, that was not to be. The women in blue left their all on the field and just narrowly missed out on what would have been an epic victory. India were the ones to bat first and they posted 274 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 50 overs. The Aussies made 275-5 and they took exactly 50 overs to reach it. It was a proper 100-over ODI game, with Australia’s world record winning streak extended to 26.
Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave the side a good start to the innings. Shafali did not stick around long as she was dismissed for 22. Smriti, however, was there to stay. The opener played one of the games of her life as she scored a magnificent 86 runs off 94 deliveries. It was a knock that oozed class. Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh supported Smriti well as she made 44 runs off 50 deliveries. Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, and Jhulan Goswami also made significant contributions of 23, 29 and 29 respectively.
For Australia, Tahlia McGrath was the pick of the bowlers on the day. She picked three wickets in nine overs and conceded only 45 runs. Sophie Molineux also bowled a tidy spell as she picked two wickets for just 28 runs in her eight overs. Darcie Brown further picked a wicket and conceded 63 runs in her 10 overs.
India had the perfect start with the ball as veteran Jhulan Goswami sent Aussie opener Alyssa Healy back to the pavilion for a duck. However, Healy’s opening partner would go on to play the innings of her life. Beth Mooney displayed incredible brilliance as she scored a magnificent ton. She remained unbeaten at 125 off 133 deliveries. She was exceptionally well supported by Tahlia McGrath who scored 74 runs off 77 deliveries. Nicola Carey also played a useful knock as she remained unbeaten on 39. Her explosive batting ensured that the Aussies won the game by a whisker.
The Indian bowlers tried their level best to keep the series alive but it was just not meant to be. Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, and Deepti Sharma picked one wicket each. It did seem that the bowlers would earn the win for India as they took wickets at crucial intervals before McGrath came to bat. She was the one who took the pressure off Beth and made it easier for Nicola to play her natural game before securing a series win for the Aussies.
“It was pretty stressful watching (the last over). We obviously lost early wickets as there was movement out there, but I thought India bowled pretty well. We wanted to get it down to nine or ten (run-rate) in the last 10 overs and we managed to do that. The way the game finished, it was quite incredible. We got that depth in the team, we got that batting and bowling and you have seen that in the first two games. A batter going up from number 5 to open the innings, this shows the versatility in the group. India played well for majority of the game, but we found out a way and win. It’s certainly the most eventful game we have played in this winning streak. Very lucky to come out on top today. We are looking forward to a really good contest in the third game,” said Australia skipper Meg Lanning after the game.
