Harmanpreet Kaur‘s heroics within the third session of Day 3 put India ladies in agency control of the one-off Test match against mighty Australia on Saturday, December 23. India took a 187-run lead within the first innings after which Australia misplaced 5 wickets for 233 of their second innings to take a slim 46-run lead.Â
Australian bowlers shone within the first session as India’s innings collapsed on 406 runs, including solely 30 runs on Day 3. The star spin all-rounder Deepti Sharma top-scored with 78 runs whereas Pooja Vastrakar missed her fifty by simply three runs. For Australia, ace all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner took 4 wickets whereas Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland bagged two every.
Openers Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield offered Australia an excellent begin within the second innings with a 49-run stand for the primary wicket. Richa Ghosh’s wonderful throw ended Mooney’s quickfire innings within the twelfth over after which Sneh Rana bowled out Litchfield two overs later to provide India an early control earlier than the lunch.
The legendary all-rounder Ellyse Perry and in-form Tahlia McGrath scorched 84 runs for the third wicket and dominated the second session to steadiness the sport. Rana dismissed Perry to provide India a much-needed breakthrough however McGrath managed to supply her third Test fifty.
McGrath and captain Alyssa Healy added 66 runs for the fourth wickets to barely give Australia control of the sport. But Harmanpreet made a late influence by dismissing each McGrath and Healy to utterly shift the momentum at Wankhede.Â
McGrath scored 73 runs off 177 balls, her highest Test rating, whereas Healy added 32 runs. Gardner and Sutherland remained within the center with Australia placing a complete of 233/5 in 90 overs when umpires known as for stumps on Day 3.
India Women Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Thakur Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Australia Women Playing XI: Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Kim Garth, Lauren Cheatle
