India fought hard but went down by three runs in a thrilling second women’s ODI against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday night. Keeping their nerves at the crunch, the Aussies, who now have an unassailable 2-0 lead, have maintained their record of not having lost an ODI series in India.
India were propelled by Richa Ghosh’s career-best 96 off 117 balls and off-spinning allrounder Deepti Sharma’s 5/38, but were left to rue their shoddy fielding, which saw them drop as many as seven catches. There was also some really slow batting towards the end by Deepti, who consumed 36 balls for her 24 not out while managing only one four.
Hurt badly by cramps but perhaps finding her energy from the 3,000-odd enthusiastic spectators, Ghosh valiantly kept producing the boundaries, but all Deepti contributed was eight runs in a 47-run partnership for the fifth wicket as the asking rate kept creeping up as India chased 259.
Eventually, Ghosh, much to her frustration, was caught by Phoebe Litchfield at cover off pacer Annabel Sutherland, who then took the wickets of Pooja Vastrakar (8) and Amanjot Kaur (4) to finish with 3-47 in 9 overs and the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
India needed 16 in the final two overs but a superb penultimate over by off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner, which went for just three runs, pegged the hosts back. While they took Sutherland for two fours in the final over, India eventually missed out by a whisker.
Even as they too dropped four catches, Australia did pull off a brilliant one which made a huge difference in the close game, as Litchfield pulled of a blinder at cover to end the well-set Jemimah Rodrigues’ (44) stay at the wicket in the 34th over.
Joining forces at 71/2 in the 16th over, Ghosh, who was dropped on 0 (by Litchfield at first slip) and 36 (at long-off by Sutherland ) and Rodrigues had added 88 in 108 balls for the third wicket to put India on course to chase down 259. Promoted to the No. 3 spot, Ghosh justified the team management’s faith in her batting abilities, though she will be disappointed not to have taken India over the line.
Earlier, Deepti returned the best-ever figures ever by an Indian women’s team bowler against Australia, but India’s unbelievably mediocre fielding let them down badly, allowing the Aussies to make 258/8 after they elected to bat.