INDW v AUSW, 3rd ODI Review: Australian eves whitewash the hosts in style

A tour to India just cannot get better for the Australian contingent, who managed to win all the games, including the warm-up matches. Nicole Bolton powered the Aussie eves to victory in the first two games and this time around, its Alyssa Healy’s ton that did the trick. The hosts got hammered in every department and succumbed horrendously.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Their best player in the last two games, Nicole Bolton was dismissed for just 11 in this game, pushing them into a cautious mode. But Alyssa Healy was in no mood to sit around and wait for the right moment. She constructed her own moments and played a gem of a knock.

It has been a forgettable tour for their skipper Meg Lanning, who otherwise can be unstoppable. After Lanning got dismissed with the scorecard reading 64, Ellyse Perry joined Healy and the duo embarked a huge run fest. Healy completed her fifty in double quick time and was looking well set for a big one. In this partnership, Healy was the aggressor whilst Perry kept nudging singles.

Perry and Healy added 79 runs for the 3rd wicket and her next big partnership came with Rachel Haynes. Haynes brought all her experience into play and helped Healy register a sensational century. Harmanpreet Kaur and Pooja Vastrakar got clobbered in these middle overs when Haynes and Healy were going bonkers.

After adding 96 runs for the 4th wicket, Healy was dismissed for a staggering 133 off 115 balls. Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner took the onus on themselves to provide their side a fantastic finish. The duo slammed some quick runs towards the end, helping Australia finish with 332/7 in their 50 overs. Harmanpreet picked up two wickets for India but was a tad bit expensive.

A good start goes in vain!

Chasing this massive total, Smriti Mandhana and the teenage sensation Jemimah Rodrigues gave India a brilliant start. The new ball bowlers were taken to the cleaners and even the experienced candidates like Megan Schutt and Ashleigh Gardner conceded heavily. Mandhana was in an overdrive mode and was looking set for a big knock.

But unfortunately for the Indians, their joy lived only for a while. Smriti Mandhana completed her half-century and the pair had completed a 100-run stand. Ashleigh Gardner changed the game on her own by sending back both these players in successive deliveries in the 14th over. It was a colossal blow for the Indian ambitions and from then on, Lanning and company looked rampant.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma tried to stitch a partnership after skipper Mithali Raj fell for a below par score. But the damage was done as those quick wickets jolted the scoring rate big time. It started creeping up to unattainable levels and in an attempt to catch up with that rate of scoring, India lost wickets in quick time.

Sushma Verma chipped in with a decent inning in the middle order as well, but all that was a little too less for the target they had in front. India got bowled out for 235 runs in 44.4 overs and conceded a huge 97-run win. A comprehensive performance from the women in yellow seals the deal and the hosts suffered a humiliating defeat in front of a good crowd in Vadodara.

Brief Scores

Australia Women: 332/7 in 50 overs (Alyssa Healy 133, Rachel Haynes 43, Ashleigh Gardner 35; Harmanpreet Kaur 2/51)

India Women: 235 all out in 44.4 overs (Smriti Mandhana 52, Jemimah Rodrigues 42; Ashleigh Gardner 3/40, Ellyse Perry 2/40)

Player of the match: Alyssa Healy

Player of the series: Nicole Bolton