India and Australia produced an all-time classic in the third ODI at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. After opting to bat first, Australia wreaked havoc, with senior batter Beth Mooney leading the charge. Captain Alyssa Healy departed early, scoring 27 runs, while her partner, Georgia Voll, played a mature knock of 81. She stitched a crucial 107-run partnership with Ellyse Perry, which set the tone of the game.
Perry, meanwhile, made 68. She built a 106-run partnership with Mooney, which put the Indian bowlers under further pressure. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side looked clueless in the middle against Australia batters, as none of their plans worked in the middle. Mooney went on to score 138 runs off 75 balls, as the visitors posted 412 runs on the board in the first innings. Towards the end, the Australia batters were put to the test, and that’s when the Indian bowlers managed to pick wickets at regular intervals.
Nevertheless, this was the highest India ever conceded in ODI cricket history. Ahead of the ODI World Cup, this is a concern that the team management needs to fix.
When it came to the chase, Smriti Mandhana stole the show with her power-hitting. The 29-year-old smacked the fastest century by an Indian in ODI cricket history, breaking Virat Kohli’s record. She reached the landmark in just 50 balls, setting India’s chase. In the end, the Mumbai-born made 125 runs off 63 balls before Grace Harris picked up the prized wicket.
Captain Harmanpreet supported her well in the middle, scoring 52 runs. After Smriti and Harmanpreet departed, things were expected to get complicated, but Deepti Sharma rose to the occasion to keep the scoreboard ticking. The all-rounder made 72 runs off 58 balls and as long as she was batting, India seemed to be cruising for a win.
Sneh Rana supported her well, scoring 35 runs off 41 balls. However, in the end, the hosts suffered a defeat by 43 runs, losing the series 2-1.
What’s the world record?
The third ODI produced the highest aggregated score ever in women’s ODIs. A total of 777 runs were scored in Delhi, breaking the previous record, which was set by England and South Africa in 2017. 678 runs were scored in that match, with England winning by 68.