Photo Credit: Australia Women continued to fight back in the one-off Test against India Women as they reached 156/3 in 50 overs, whittling away the 187-run lead they had conceded on the first innings to just 31 at Tea on the third day at the Wankhede on Saturday.Australia rode on an 84-run partnership between Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath to build on the good start provided by openers Beth Mooney (33) and Phoebe Litchfield (18) before lunch.
At the Tea break, Tahlia McGrath was batting on 46 with skipper Alyssa Healy on 4.
After Australia ended India’s first innings in 36 minutes in the morning after the addition of just 30 runs to the overnight score of 376/7, openers Mooney and Litchfield raised 49 runs for the first wicket before they squandered the advantage by losing two easy wickets.
Mooney was the first to go, run out by Richa Ghosh for 33 off 37 balls, studded with seven boundaries. Mooney, who had batted well in the first innings too, ventured out of the crease in her follow-through while playing a defensive shot and Ghosh, stationed at silly point struck the stumps with Mooney well out, casually ambling to the crease not expecting Ghosh to hit the stumps. Australia lost their first wicket for 49 runs.
A few minutes later, Litchfield joined her in the dressing room, bowled by Sneh Rana for 18 off 44 balls.
Three balls after hitting a beautiful boundary, and walking down the pitch to punch a fullish delivery through covers, Litchfield attempted a reverse sweep off a full-length ball on the off-stump, completely missed the line and had her stumps disturbed. There was no need for her to manufacture that reverse sweep as she was doing well playing traditional shots.
From 49 for no loss, Australia slumped to 56/2 in the space of 12 deliveries a few minutes before the lunch break. It is now left for Perry and McGrath to keep their fight going as the Indian bowlers use all weapons in their arsenal to get them out.
However, Perry and McGrath prevented another collapse as they cautiously built a good partnership to win the session for Australia, who added 93 runs to the score losing one wicket.
Perry survived an appeal for lbw off a defensive prod off Rajeshwari Gayakwad as the Indians reviewed it after the umpire rejected the appeal. DRS ruled that the impact was outside off stump as India lost a review.
The 33-year-old right-hander struck five boundaries in her 91-ball 45 as they tackled the Indian attack without taking many risks. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur used five bowlers including part-timer Jemimah Rodrigues but they failed to get a breakthrough.
However, off-spinner Sneh Rana struck the vital blow for the hosts when she sent back Perry, who went back into the crease to attempt a flick off a full delivery going down the leg side and got a thin edge that wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia did well to catch, moving brilliantly towards her left in a flash. Australia were down to 140/3 in 42.4 overs.
McGrath, who started very slowly, opened up a bit later as she scored seven fours in her well-compiled knock. She had her heart in her mouth when a thick outside edge off a forward prod just eluded Sneh Rana at first slip as she was standing a bit wide.
A solid punch through extra cover off Rajeshwari Gayakwad, which brought the fifty of their partnership off 69 balls, a cut past cover off Pooja Vastrakar in the 23rd over and a charge down the wicket to loft Gayakwad over extra cover were the best of her seven boundaries.
Brief scores (at Tea, Day 3):
Australia Women 219 & 156/3 in 50 overs (, Ellyse Perry 45, Tahila McGrath batting 46; Sneh Rana 2-44) trail India Women 406 all out in 126.3 overs (Deepti Sharma 78, Smriti Mandhana 74, Jemimah Rodrigues 73; Richa Ghosh 52, Pooja Vastrakar 47; Ashleigh Gardner 4-100, Annabel Sutherland 2-41, Kim Garth 2-58) by 31 runs.
