India hopes to draw level in the second ODI against Australia to maintain the series
If Harmanpreet Kaur’s India Women want to continue the three-match series and break their home-losing run against the rampaging visitors, they will need to rise to the occasion in this second ODI against Australia on Saturday.
In the first ODI on Thursday at the Wankhede Stadium, India was utterly outclassed even though they amassed their highest-ever total of 282/8 against Australia thanks to the genius of Jemimah Rodrigues (82) and Pooja Vastrakar (62 not out).
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India used seven different bowlers, including Harmanpreet (3-0-32-0), to try to defend the target, but in vain as Australia easily defeated them with more than three overs and six wickets remaining.
Not only was India’s devastating loss their eighth straight at home, but the way the hosts were defeated would raise some questions in the locker room.
In the opening over from Renuka Singh, Sneh Rana made a diving catch to remove Alyssa Healy with a flight to her left. However, India’s fielding collapsed as many mistakes let the Australians, Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry, amass 148 runs for the second wicket.
Vastrakar in particular, one of India’s new ball bowlers, failed to establish himself, while the veteran spinners Deepti Sharma (1/55) and Rana, who had caused a lot of problems for the visiting batsmen during the one-off Test at this location last week, also met the same end.
Similar to her T20I debut, Saika Ishaque (6-0-48-0) struggled to establish herself as a bowler, and the team’s problems were exacerbated by many errors made in the field.
Prior to Rodrigues and Vastrakar’s 68-run partnership for the eighth wicket, which saved India, the majority of India’s batsmen were unable to convert their starts.
It would be difficult for India to get over this setback and bounce back in time for the second ODI, which is their ninth match in all formats in the previous 23 days during this intense home season.
India Women will have to figure out a means to get over the physical and mental strain of playing top-tier cricket on a regular basis, as they play 11 matches in total over 35 days.
It’s also unclear whether Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain and star opener who was absent from the first ODI due to illness, will be fit for the second game.
In a similar vein, Rodrigues’s only information was that she had trouble staying hydrated. In the midst of battling extreme heat and humidity and turning in one of her best innings on the largest platform, the right-handed hitter once sprinted towards the team bench to vomit up.
The most difficult task, for both the think tank and the players, would be to figure out how to disrupt Australia’s formidable and lengthy batting lineup.
Along with stopping the Australian vice-captain Tahlia McGrath, who has already hit three fifties on the tour and seems to be in excellent form, the Indians will also need to figure out how to stop her.
The first ODI’s pitch was batting-friendly, and it is anticipated that this surface would not change much for the next two games played here. This suggests that bowling will be India’s major worry heading into the match.
Australia’s performance was almost flawless, as they demonstrated their skill in the field despite conceding runs in the last overs.
While Australia’s work was made much more difficult by India’s 56-run run in the last six overs, they still want to improve in one area: death-overs bowling and batting.
Squads:
India: Shefali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Mannat Kashyap, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana, and Harleen Deol.
Australia: Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney (wk), Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham; Darcie Brown, Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alyssa Healy (c&wk).
