Australia opener Beth Mooney delivered a stunning performance in the third and final ODI against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, leading her team to a dominant display with the bat. After choosing to bat first, the Alyssa Healy-led side launched a relentless assault on the Indian bowling attack, scoring a blistering 77 runs in the powerplay.
The aggression didn’t stop there. Mooney continued to punish the bowlers with precision and power, bringing up her century in just 57 balls, equaling the record for the joint second-fastest hundred in women’s ODI history, also held by Karen Rolton. Only former Australia captain Meg Lanning has scored a faster ODI century, reaching her ton in just 45 balls against New Zealand during the 2012–13 season in Sydney.
India’s bowlers had no answers to Australia’s attacking intent, as Mooney’s explosive innings left the hosts reeling and exposed serious flaws in their bowling strategy. Ahead of the ODI World Cup, which will begin in 10 days time, there are several areas that the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side needs to address, or else, it can prove to be a painful tournament for the hosts.
Mooney departs for 138 runs
Mooney departed for 138 runs off 75 balls. She was found short of the crease in the 45th over of the game, which ended her stay in the middle. Soon after that, Deepti Sharma picked up a brilliant catch of her bowling to send Grace Harris back to the pavilion.
Towards the end, the Indian bowlers showed some intent, which was missing in the entire game. However, they ended up conceding the most runs in ODI cricket history. Previously, India conceded 371 against Australia in December 2024, which was the highest but the team went on to concede more this time around. It will be a mountain to climb for the batters, but ahead of the mega tournament, they will look to prove a point.