Visakhapatnam: Skipper Alyssa Healy unfurled a hundred touched with genius and grit as Australia achieved the highest-ever successful run chase in women’s ODI to register a three-wicket win over India in their World Cup match in Visakhapatnam Sunday.
Healy (142, 107 ball, 21×4, 3×6) toyed with the Indian bowlers as the seven-time champions ended up with 331 for seven, after the hosts garnered an impressive 330 riding on fifties by Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal.
The previous highest successful run chase was Sri Lanka getting past 302 against South Africa in 2024.
The Australians went on top of the table with seven points, while India remained on third with four points.
Healy’s batting was all about pristine ball hitting, a result of her wonderfully supple wrists, allowing the right-hander to place the ball precisely in the desired areas.
She had a rather subdued record against pacer Kranti Gaud before this game, but on this night, Healy biffed the Indian for a six and three fours in an over to break the stranglehold.
Sneh Rana generally tried the fuller lengths, trying to cramp Healy for room but the Australian was equal to the task and brought out sweeps to find the often vacant arc between square leg and mid wicket or behind the fine leg.
Rana tried to bowl at a faster click but Healy slog swept the off-spinner for a six as the Australians motored well along the required rate. Healy fetched her fifty in 35 balls — the fastest in this edition of the tournament.
Amidst the Australian domination, left-arm spinner Sri Charani bowled an excellent spell (10-1-41-3) that gave India, who are without a sixth bowling option, a semblance of control in the middle overs.
The local girl grabbed the wickets of Phoebe Litchfield, who assisted Healy in a cavalier 85 runs stand for the opening wicket, and Annabel Sutherland, whom she foxed with a clever quicker, straight ball to castle.
With veteran Ellyse Perry retiring hurt, Australia appeared to be in a tight spot and the required rate too went past seven for the first time during the chase.
But Healy found a sensible partner in Ashleigh Gardner (45) as they added 95 runs for the fourth wicket to bring the Australians back into the match.
Healy then scripted her sixth WODI hundred, first as the captain of her country, with a single off Deepti Sharma, acknowledging the big moment with a simple wave of the bat.
She was eventually dismissed while attempting a cut off Charani, and substitute Radha Yadav took a fine catch at the edge of the circle.
Healy’s dismissal, perhaps, kicked up some nerves in the Australian camp as they lost Gardner, Tahlia McGrath and Sophie Molineux to slip to 303 for seven from 265 for three. But Perry (47 not out) returned to apply the finishing touches.
Earlier, India woke up from their batting slumber through classy fifties by Mandhana and Rawal to post a 300-plus total.
Asked to bat first, India were served well by openers Mandhana (80, 66 balls) and Rawal (75, 96 balls) on a pitch that had little assistance for the Australian bowlers.
The genesis of India’s batting charge was in the 155-run opening stand between Mandhana and Rawal in just 24.3 overs, also atoning for their previous individual and joint failures against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa.
Elegantly aggressive is a paradox, but in Mandhana’s case it is a truism.
The left-hander took her time till the seventh over, but the introduction of left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux (3/75) changed her and the team’s tempo.
Mandhana welcomed Molineux, smashing 18 runs in her very first over that included a six and two fours.
Rawal was more a sidekick to Mandhana, but on occasions she showed her flair, dispatching off-spinner Gardner for two fours in a row.
But rather than brute force, silken smooth timing and precise placing shaped their partnership.
Mandhana brought up her fifty in 46 balls, and Rawal followed the suit a bit later off 69 balls.
During the course of her innings, 29-year-old Mandhana also completed 5000 runs in WODIs, earning the distinction of being the fastest and youngest player to achieve the feat.
Mandhana and Rawal also stitched together their sixth 100-run stand in 21 innings, now one shy of India’s record of seven between Purnima Raut and Mithali Raj (34 innings).
However, Mandhana was dismissed against the run of play, giving a simple catch to Litchfield in the deep off Molineux while trying to play a slog sweep.
Mandhana’s dismissal briefly allowed Australia to make a comeback, getting rid of Rawal, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Harleen Deol.
India were suddenly at 240 for four in the 38th over, and on the verge of squandering the hitherto acquired momentum.
But Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues added 54 runs for the fifth wicket to push India closer to the 300-run mark.
However, Ghosh holed out in the deep off pacer Sutherland (5/40), who used a slew of back-of-hand slower balls to bag some quick wickets towards the end.
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