India A Women ended the opening day of their four-day multi-day game against Australia A Women on 351/9 at the I.S. Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. After winning the toss, India A Women chose to bat first on Tuesday, September 29. The hosts received useful contributions from several batters, with Niki Prasad unbeaten on 78 at stumps.
Shubha Satheesh and Priya Punia gave India A Women a positive start. Satheesh scored 59 from 117 balls with 10 fours, while Punia made 46 from 65 deliveries, hitting seven fours and one six. Punia became the first wicket at 102, caught by Tahlia Wilson off Milly Illingworth. Yastika Bhatia followed for 5, stumped by Wilson off Lilly Mills.
India A Women then lost Satheesh for 59 and Tejal Hasabnis for 2 in a short period. Satheesh was trapped lbw by Mills, while Hasabnis was caught by Charli Knott off Mills. With the score at 120 for four, Anushka Sharma and Tanisha Singh rebuilt the innings and gave the hosts an important partnership during the middle part of the day.
Anushka scored 44 from 86 balls, with four fours and one six, before she was caught by Rachel Trenaman off Frankie Nicklin. Tanisha kept the innings moving and produced a valuable 92 from 166 balls, including 12 fours. She was eventually dismissed lbw by Tess Flintoff, with India A Women reaching 313 for six.
Niki Prasad then became the mainstay of the lower middle order and carried the innings into the final stages. She remained unbeaten on 78 from 99 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. Her innings helped India A Women move beyond 300 despite losing wickets regularly. Prasad’s effort ensured the hosts finished the day with a strong total after 100 overs.
India A Women lost three more wickets after Tanisha’s departure but still reached 351/9 from their 100 overs. Sayali Satghare made 1, Shabnam Shakil scored 4, and Vaishnavi Sharma added 6. Shuchi Upadhyay was unbeaten on 0 with Prasad at the close. India A Women also collected 14 extras, including six byes, one leg-bye and seven wides.
Australia A Women shared the bowling duties throughout the day. Lilly Mills finished with 3 for 94 from 31 overs, while Charli Knott also took 3 for 82 from 24 overs. Tess Flintoff claimed one wicket, as did Milly Illingworth and Frankie Nicklin. Sianna Ginger and Anika Learoyd went wicketless. Flintoff also bowled five maidens in her 12-over spell.
Mills and Knott accounted for six of India A Women’s nine wickets, giving Australia A Women control during important stages of the innings. Illingworth bowled nine overs with three maidens for 25 runs, while Frankie Nicklin conceded 32 runs from nine overs. Australia A Women’s playing XI was led by Rachel Trenaman, with Tahlia Wilson keeping wicket. Courtney Webb, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Milly Illingworth, Lilly Mills and Anika Learoyd also featured.
At stumps, India A Women were 351/9 after 100 overs, with Niki Prasad unbeaten on 78 and Shuchi Upadhyay on 0. The hosts have one wicket remaining in their first innings when play resumes. The unofficial Test is scheduled from September 29 to October 2. Ankita Guha and Gayathri Venugopalan are the umpires, while Niyati Lokur is the match referee. Australia A Women will now look to finish the innings before beginning their own batting effort.
The day was shaped by India A Women’s batting depth, with contributions from the top order, middle order and Niki Prasad late in the innings. Australia A Women kept taking wickets, but the hosts continued adding runs until stumps arrived.
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