 "Smriti Mandhana scores world record century, still losing team, Australia clean sweep")
IND VS AUS: Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana’s world record century goes to waste. Australia defeated India by 83 runs in the third ODI. Along with this, the host Australia also whitewashed India in the three-match ODI series. Team India lost the series 0-3. Mandhana scored his fourth century in ODIs this year. Mandhana became the first female cricketer in the world to do so in a calendar year. This is the ninth century of Mandhana’s ODI career. A career-best bowling performance from Rundhati Reddy (26/4) saw India reduce Australia to 78 for 4 at the Walk, but Annabelle Sutherland’s century (110 off 95 balls, nine fours, four sixes) The host team was successful in making a big score of 298 runs on the 6th wicket.
Sutherland added 96 runs for the fifth wicket with Ashley Gardner (50) and 122 runs for the sixth wicket with captain Tahlia McGrath (56) to take the team to a strong score. In reply, the Indian team was all out for 215 runs in 45.1 overs despite Smriti Mandhana’s innings of 105 runs in 109 balls with the help of 14 fours and one six. As long as Smriti was at the crease, India’s hopes of victory were intact, but her dismissal also dashed the visitors’ hopes of a consolation win.
Ashley took 5 wickets for 30 runs
Off-spinner Ashley took five wickets for 30 runs for Australia. Leg spinner Elena King also took two wickets for 27 runs. Mandhana did not get support from the other batsmen at the other end. Elina caught Harleen Deol (39 off 64 balls) off her own ball and ended a 118-run partnership for the second wicket with Mandhana, after which the team lost consecutive wickets. Chasing the target, India lost the wicket of Richa Ghosh (02) in the fifth over itself, bowled by Megan Schutt. The team had high expectations from captain Harmanpreet Kaur (12 off 22 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues (16 off 11 balls) but both disappointed.
Deepti Sharma could not even open an account
Senior batsman Deepti Sharma also failed to open the account. Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bowl first, after which Phoebe Litchfield (25) and Georgia Woll (26) added 58 runs for the first wicket in 10.1 overs to give the team a good start. However, Arundhati, playing her fifth ODI, dealt Australia a double blow by dismissing both the openers in the space of four balls in the 11th over. Arundhati bowled Shatakvir Vol of the previous match on an in-swinging ball, while left-hander Lichfield was caught by wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh on an out-swinging ball.
Arundhati took 4 wickets
Arundhati then bowled all-rounder Ellyce Perry (04) and then had Beth Mooney (10) caught by Richa, which saw Australia’s score increase from 58 not out to 78 for four. Sutherland and Ashley then took over the innings. Sutherland took an aggressive stance from the start. He targeted the spinners and hit Deepti Sharma for two fours and a six in the 40th over. Deepti broke this partnership by getting Ashley caught by Menu Money in the 34th over. Ashleigh hit five fours while facing 64 balls. After this, Sutherland got a good partner in the form of captain Tahlia and both scored runs at a rapid pace and took the team’s score close to 300 runs. Sutherland completed his century by hitting Deepti over mid-wicket for a six in the last over of the innings but was run out after that.