In a candid post-match reflection after India’s crushing 185-run defeat in the third ODI at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval, captain Harmanpreet Kaur laid bare her team’s ODI frailties in the ongoing multi-format series against Australia.
The 36-year-old skipper admitted, “I think overall we didn’t play good cricket. In T20, we were doing all the things right and in ODI, we didn’t play good cricket. I think that is something which cost us. ODI, it’s a long game, and you have to keep doing the right things again and again. I think we kept making too many mistakes.”
This whitewash, following losses by 6 wickets in the first ODI and 5 wickets in the second, caps a disappointing 0-3 reversal, leaving the multi-format scoreline at 8-4 in Australia’s favour ahead of the pivotal one-off pink-ball Test at W.A.C.A. in Perth from March 6.
The series, spanning February 15 to March 9, started brightly for India with a 2-1 T20I triumph: a 21-run DLS win in the opener, a 19-run loss in the second, and a 17-run victory to clinch the T20I leg for the first time in 10 years down under. But the ODIs exposed stark contrasts.
In her farewell ODI, skipper Alyssa Healy blazed an astonishing 158 off 98 balls, etched in history as the highest individual score in a farewell ODI, featuring 27 boundaries and two sixes alongside Phoebe Litchfield. Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 106 off 84 complemented her, propelling Australia to a colossal 410/ target.
Harmanpreet Kaur was quick to credit the hosts, “Credit goes to the Australian team also because they really played good cricket, and they didn’t give us a chance to bounce back.” Healy’s masterclass earned her Player of the Match, while Alana King (4 wickets) and Georgia Wareham (2) dismantled India in the chase.
India’s pursuit crumbled early. Star opener Smriti Mandhana fell for a duck in the second over. Pratika Rawal’s aggressive 27 off 21 offered fleeting hope before Annabel Sutherland struck. Jemimah Rodrigues fought valiantly with 42 off 29 (nine boundaries), but partnerships eluded them. A late 63-run eighth wicket stand between Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana proved mere consolation, as India folded well short, handing Australia a series sweep.
Amid the rubble, visiting skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stood tall as India’s top ODI run-getter with 132 runs in three innings at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 70.58, including two half-centuries. Yet the skipper’s focus shifted to redemption. With the pink-ball Test, worth four points, offering a shot to level the series, she emphasised mental fortitude, “Keeping everybody in a good space of mind is very important.
“I know we have very little time to prepare, but I think now it’s only about believing in yourself and keeping yourself in a good frame of mind and doing the right things for the team,” she concluded. As India heads to Perth, Kaur’s words signal a resolve to learn from ODI lapses and harness T20 momentum in the longest format.
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