In Mumbai, on the first day of the one-off women’s Test against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, 24-year-old medium-fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar and 27-year-old opening batsman Smriti Mandhana showcased their dominance.
Pooja took 4 wickets for 53 runs, restricting Australia to 219 runs in the first innings. In reply, India reached 98 for 1 by the end of the day’s play, with Smriti undefeated on 43 runs. Shefali Verma was dismissed for 40 runs earlier in the day.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat. Pooja claimed 4 wickets, while Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma took 3 and 2 wickets respectively, curbing the visiting team’s momentum.
This was Australia’s lowest score in the first innings against India. Their innings began poorly, with opener Phoebe Litchfield getting run out early. Beth Mooney scored 40 runs, and Tahlia McGrath contributed 50 runs.
Except for skipper Alyssa Healy’s 38 runs, other middle-order batsmen failed to convert starts into substantial innings.
Annabelle Sutherland managed 16, Ashleigh Gardner scored 11, and Jess Jonassen added 19 before getting out. Kim Garth, batting at the bottom, contributed a modest 28 not out to propel the team past the 200-run mark.
Richa Ghosh made her Test debut for India. Both teams have played a total of 10 Test matches. Australia has won four matches and drawn six Tests, while India is yet to secure a Test victory against Australia.
Brief Scoreboard – Australia 219 all out in 77.4 overs (Beth Mooney 40, Tahlia McGrath 50, Alyssa Healy 38, Annabelle Sutherland 16, Jess Jonassen 19, Kim Garth not out 28) Bowling: Pooja Vastrakar 16-2-53-4, Sneh Rana 22.4-4-56-3, Deepti Sharma 19-3-45-2. India: 98 for 1 in 19 overs (Shefali Verma 40, Smriti Mandhana 43*, Sneh Rana 4*) Bowling: Jess Jonassen 4-1.
