Australia secured their second straight victory of the World Cup by chasing down India’s 331-run target with three wickets in hand and an over remaining. Despite the match being high-scoring and filled with boundaries and brisk scoring during the early and middle stages, the momentum dipped toward the end. For India, frequent wicket losses derailed their progress, while Australia, requiring 73 runs off the final 12 overs, approached the chase with composure. Ellyse Perry, who had earlier retired hurt, returned to the crease at the start of the 45th over and guided her team home alongside the lower order.
India setup a massive target despite being bowled out
India, after being put in to bat, began cautiously, with Smriti Mandhana taking time to find her rhythm. While Mandhana struggled early, Australia’s clear plan to target Pratika Rawal ended up backfiring as she skillfully used her flick shots, striking two boundaries in the fourth over off Megan Schutt to lift the scoring rate. Mandhana found her tempo in the eighth over, taking Sophie Molineux for two boundaries and a six, and continued to attack with confidence. Rawal also went on the offensive against Ashleigh Gardner, helping India accelerate. Mandhana’s aggressive approach carried on against Kim Garth, eventually pulling a delivery for six to become the youngest and fastest to reach 5000 ODI runs in women’s cricket.
Australia continued to bowl in-swingers to Rawal, which nearly worked when she offered a leading edge on 41, only for Alana King to put down the chance at mid-wicket. Meanwhile, Mandhana’s partnership with Rawal flourished, pushing up the scoring rate further, until Mandhana fell in the 25th over while attempting another big hit off Molineux. Her departure opened the door for Healy to bring King into the attack, and the leg-spinner managed to produce drift and turn. Despite this, India’s batters kept the scoreboard moving through the middle overs. Rawal and Harleen Deol compiled 37 runs in 34 balls before Rawal was dismissed, pulling Annabel Sutherland to Ellyse Perry at fine leg.
The middle order—Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and Amanjot Kaur—all contributed valuable runs at a rapid pace. Harmanpreet and Ghosh relied on their power-hitting, while Jemimah displayed skillful placement and alert running to pressure the fielders. However, none of them managed to stay long enough to deliver a strong late flourish. Still, the combined effort of 103 runs from 72 balls in this phase proved crucial, enabling India to surpass the 300-run mark, a feat achieved against Australia only once before in ODIs.
India also benefited from Australia’s lack of discipline with the ball, receiving 13 wides and an additional five penalty runs after Healy failed to collect a ball that struck the helmet positioned behind her. This was among a handful of errors from Healy behind the stumps. Despite losing Kim Garth early in her seventh over due to injury, Australia tightened up in the death overs, restricting boundaries and building pressure.
Sutherland was the standout in the closing stages, mixing back-of-the-hand slower balls with offcutters to great effect. Her precision brought her five wickets while conceding just 40 runs in her spell. India’s batting collapse in the final stretch was dramatic, with the last five wickets falling for only 36 runs in 36 deliveries. The innings ended prematurely with seven balls remaining, leaving Australia a competitive, but chaseable, target.
Australia chase down the target despite ups and downs
Australia began their chase cautiously, collecting only 16 runs from the first four overs. However, Alyssa Healy soon broke her shackles, attacking Amanjot Kaur with a pair of crisp boundaries to find her rhythm. The momentum grew from there, particularly in the ninth over when Kranti Goud was hammered for 19 runs, followed by another burst of boundaries off Amanjot two overs later. This early aggression gave Australia a solid foundation and quickly erased the slow start.
India regained control when Shree Charani entered the attack in the 12th over, immediately putting brakes on the scoring. Her variation troubled the batters, and Phoebe Litchfield’s attempt at a reverse sweep resulted in a catch at backward point. While Charani managed to tighten the run flow, Healy and Ellyse Perry continued to find occasional boundaries from the other end to keep the scoreboard moving. The partnership was crucial amid the growing pressure from India’s spinners.
As the spin duo of Charani and Deepti Sharma settled in, Australia’s run rate slowed and wickets began to fall. Perry had to retire hurt due to cramps, while Beth Mooney’s short stay ended with a superb diving catch by Jemimah Rodrigues. Soon after, Charani struck again, bowling out Annabel Sutherland to reduce Australia to 170 for 3 in the 28th over. With Perry’s fitness in doubt, Healy shifted gears, teaming up with Ashleigh Gardner to rebuild. Gardner’s steady presence allowed Healy to unleash a flurry of boundaries, including a lofted four through extra cover and a slog-sweep for six off Sneh Rana, as the pair added 95 valuable runs to revive the innings.
India briefly fought back, removing Healy and Tahlia McGrath in quick succession, but Australia still had the chase under control with the required rate well within reach. Gardner and Sophie Molineux stabilized the innings, ensuring the run flow stayed consistent around a run per ball. Both fell just before the finish, but Perry’s return to the crease sealed the result in dramatic fashion. With six runs needed from the final seven deliveries, she launched a straight six to cap off Australia’s composed and calculated chase.
Brief Scores: India 330 in 48.5 overs (Smriti Mandhana 80, Pratika Rawal 72; Annabel Sutherland 5-40, Sophie Molineux 3-75) lost to Australia 331/7 in 49 overs (Alyssa Healy 142, Ellyse Perry 47; Shree Charani 3-41, Deepti Sharma 2-52) by 3 wickets