The Indian team was bundled out for 406 in 126.3 overs in their first innings, leading Australia by 187 runs. Deepti Sharma (78 off 171 balls), Smriti Mandhana (74 off 106 balls), Jemimah Rodrigues (73 off 121 balls), Richa Ghosh (52 off 104 balls), and Pooja Vastrakar (47 off 126 balls) were the top performers with the bat for India. Ashleigh Gardner (41-7-100-4), Annabel Sutherland (11.3-2-41-2), and Kim Garth (14-2-58-2) were the top performers with the ball for Australia.
The Australian openers got off to a positive start before losing both openers in quick succession. The Australian vice-captain Tahlia McGrath joined Ellyse Perry and the duo led the recovery with an 84-run partnership for the third wicket skipper Alyssa Healy joined Tahlia McGrath at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 66-run partnership for the fourth wicket before skipper Harmanpreet Kaur struck twice to send Australia’s captain and the vice-captain back to the pavilion to bring the home side firmly back into the contest after visitors wipe out the first innings lead.
The Australians were 46 runs ahead coming into day 4, the final day of the one-off Test match that promised to be an exciting edge-of-the-seat thriller. These top-class teams continue to land punches on each other over the course of the first three days of the Test match. Pooja Vastrakar came back for her new spell and picked up the wicket of Ashleigh Gardner to provide the much-needed 6th breakthrough for India in the 2nd over of day 4.
Jess Jonassen joined Annabel Sutherland at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 18-run partnership for the 7th wicket before Sneh Rana picked up the massive wicket of Annabel Sutherland as she got hit on the glove in her bid to play the sweep to a tossed-up delivery outside leg. Yastika Bhatia completed an outstanding catch behind the stumps to provide the 7th breakthrough for India. The visitors suffered a mini collapse as they lost their last three wickets for just 10 runs and they were eventually bundled out for 261 in 105.4 overs, with a lead of 74 runs.
Tahlia McGrath (73 off 177 balls), Ellyse Perry (45 off 91 balls), Beth Mooney (33 off 37 balls), and skipper Alyssa Healy (32 off 101 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Australia. Sneh Rana (22-5-63-4), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (28.4-11-42-2), and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (9-0-23-2) were the top performers with the ball for India. Chasing a target of 75 in the fourth innings, the openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana walked out in the middle, with the 19-year-old youngster Shafali Verma taking the strike against Kim Garth and announcing her intentions straight away by smashing the bowler for a boundary on the first ball of the run chase.
However, the bowler had the last laugh as she managed to send Shafali Verma back to the pavilion to provide the first breakthrough for Australia. The 20-year-old debutant Richa Ghosh was again promoted up the order at number 3 with an intent to take the attack to the Australian bowlers. She played her role to perfection as she smashed three delightful boundaries to ease the pressure and get the innings going, stitching a crucial 51-run partnership for the 2nd wicket alongside Smriti Mandhana.
Ashleigh Gardner came back and picked up the wicket of Richa Ghosh as she went for a wild slog across the line and ended up finding the top-edge Tahlia McGrath stationed at long-on, completing an easy catch to provide the second breakthrough for Australia. Jemimah Rodrigues joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease with the home side just 20 runs away from a historic victory against Australia. Jemimah Rodrigues continued the momentum as she smashed a boundary on the first ball of the innings to get off the mark to get off the mark in style.
🇮🇳 INDIA WINNNNNN!! 🇮🇳
They beat Australia for the first time in a Women's test. #CricketTwitter #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/tSev1qa95Z
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 24, 2023
The duo took the home side over the line by 8 wickets, and the opening batter and the vice-captain of the Indian team Smriti Mandhana finished things off in style by smashing a boundary off Jess Jonassen, coming down the track and smashing it over the top to seal a yet another historic moment at the Wankhede Stadium in Indian (women’s) cricket. The women in blue led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur clinched their maiden victory over Australia in the red-ball (Test) format nearly after 45 years.
Indian Women’s Cricket Team beat Australia for the first-time in Test
🇮🇳 Moments of celebration 😍#CricketTwitter #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/l5DJEPpBfg
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 24, 2023
The women in blue led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur have now defeated one of the top two teams England by 347 runs and Australia by 8 wickets in the red-ball arena just in a matter of 15 days, having last played a Test match a couple of years ago (2021), and when it comes to playing at home, it was 9 years ago against South Africa in the year 2014. The Indian women’s team has ruled the red-ball format in the last decade. They are the only team to stay unbeaten in a women’s Test match in the last 10 years, since 2013.
INDIA are WINNERS!! 🇮🇳😍
The first time ever that India have beaten the No. 1 ranked Australian team in Test cricket.#CricketTwitter #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/F0Aj7vDfuL
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 24, 2023
