In a captivating display of batting prowess, India Women’s first innings at the Wankhede Stadium against Australia lasted 36 minutes on the third morning, adding 30 runs to their overnight score and reaching a historic total of 406. This marked a significant milestone as India surpassed their previous best against Australia in Women’s Tests, scoring over 400 runs for the first time.
Starting the day at 376/7, India’s aspirations rested on Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar to extend their lead beyond the psychological mark of 200 runs. However, Australia’s experienced pacers, Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland, strategically used short-pitched deliveries to disrupt the flow.
Vastrakar, with back-to-back boundaries off Sutherland in the 123rd over, showcased resilience. Unfortunately, her innings concluded on the last ball of the over as she pulled a short delivery straight to Garth at square leg, ending her knock at 47. The partnership with Deepti Sharma reached 122 runs for the eighth wicket, the second-highest in Women’s Test history.
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Renuka Singh Thakur contributed a boundary, taking the score past 400, but her dismissal followed shortly after. Deepti Sharma, who top-scored for India with 78 off 171 balls, was eventually cleaned up by Kim Garth. The Indian innings, lasting just 36 minutes on the third morning, showcased a dominant performance.
Kim Garth claimed figures of 1-9 off four overs, while Sutherland bagged 2-21 off 3.3 overs. The Australian Women now face a challenging task as India takes a commanding 187-run lead in the four-day, one-off Test.
Brief Scores: Australia Women 219 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, Shafali Verma 40; Ashleigh Gardner 4-100, Annabel Sutherland 2-41, Kim Garth 2-58) by 187 runs.
-IANS
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