India 251 for 9 (Harmanpreet 54, Rawal 52) vs Australia
Rawal and Smriti Mandhana laid a platform with a 78-run opening partnership before the wheels fell off as India lost 5 for 52. Harmanpreet produced a rescue job in the backend to give India hope of keeping the ODI leg alive with the multi-format series locked at 4 points apiece.
Despite dropping several catches in an unusually ragged performance in the field, Australia rebounded well after being rocked pre-match by the news that Sophie Molineux will miss the remainder of the multi-format series with a back injury.
Annabel Sutherland took 2 for 37 but curiously only bowled seven overs, with spinners Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner also claiming two wickets apiece. Nicola Carey finished with 1 for 55 off 8 overs as a late inclusion for Molineux.
India may end up ruing their haphazard batting mid-innings after they eyed a big total in sunny conditions when Harmanpreet, who proved her fitness after sustaining a knee injury in the ODI opener, won her fifth straight toss in the multi-series.
Rawal was determined for a bounce back after falling to quick Megan Schutt for a second ball duck in Brisbane in her earlier than expected return from knee and ankle injuries that cut short her World Cup.
She enjoyed the more benign conditions and stroked a couple of lovely drives off Schutt, who was unable to threaten with minimal swing on offer. Rawal looked in control in complete contrast to Mandhana, who couldn’t find her rhythm on a ground where she hit her first ODI ton in 2016.
Mandhana had entered on the back of consecutive half-centuries in the multi-series, but looked a shadow here with her first boundary achieved in streaky fashion when she edged between wicketkeeper Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy at first slip.
She then was dropped on 15 when Gardner fumbled low to her left at point in a tough chance she would normally take. Mandhana rode her luck and combined well with Rawal as they notched their half-century stand in the 12th over.
Playing her first ODI since the 2022 World Cup, Carey bowled an accurate spell to halt India’s momentum with Mandhana starting to lose concentration. She was fortunate to survive on 26 after charging down to Gardner and miscuing high in the air only for Tahlia McGrath to spill the catch at mid-on.
But Mandhana never settled and fell in ungainly fashion after being cleaned up by her nemesis Gardner having stepped across the crease. Rawal reached her steady half-century off 76 balls and looked to build a big partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues, who was elevated back to No. 3 where she performed such heroics at the World Cup with Shafali Verma rested from this match.
But Rodrigues succumbed to the extra bounce of Sutherland and edged behind trying to steer to deep third. India fell apart with Rawal stranded halfway down the pitch in a horrific mix-up with Harmanpreet before Deepti Sharma holed out to deep midwicket in a reward for King, who for the second straight match bowled well in the middle overs.
Carey was also deserving of her wicket when she had Amanjot Kaur, recalled into India’s XI, caught behind with Mooney taking a superb catch standing up to the stumps.
Richa Ghosh smashed the first six of the innings but could not kick on after falling lbw to King in an overturned decision. The pressure was on Harmanpreet and she found an ally with Kashvee Gautam continuing on from her strong performance in Brisbane.
They combined for a 55-run partnership to ensure India’s bowlers had a competitive target to defend.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
