Captain Alyssa Healy led from the front with a blistering century as Australia registered a thrilling three-wicket win in their ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 clash against India at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
After being invited to bat first, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana became the first player in women’s ODIs to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year during her 80 run knock as India piled up 330 in 48.5 overs.
In pursuit of the highest target ever successfully chased in women’s ODI history, Healy played an impressive knock (142 off 107) with the help of 21 boundaries and three sixes. Besides Healy, Ellyse Perry (47 not out) and Ashleigh Gardner (45) made crucial contributions to help Australia seal a hard-fought win. Among the Indian bowlers, Sree Charani (3/41) stood out with an impressive spell while Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur chipped in with two wickets each.
India appeared to be back in the contest after striking twice in quick succession to remove Gardner and Sophie Molineux but once the previously retired-hurt Perry returned to the crease, steadied the chase and led Australia to victory with six balls to spare.
The victory takes Australia to the top of the table with seven points from four matches while India slip to third with four points from as many games, their second consecutive defeat of the tournament.
Earlier in the first innings, Australia produced a brilliant bowling display in the latter stages, bowling India out for 330. Smriti Mandhana top scored for India with Pratika Rawal providing solid support during their commanding opening stand. However, once the duo departed, India lost wickets at regular intervals, slipping from 294/5 to 330 all out.
Annabel Sutherland (5/40) starred with the ball, claiming a superb five-wicket haul, while Sophie Molineux (3/75) chipped in with key breakthroughs. Ashleigh Gardner and Megan Schutt also picked up a wicket each.
Notably, India’s innings had its share of highs and lows. Mandhana and Rawal set the tone with a commanding 150-run partnership for the first wicket, the highest opening stand against Australia in the tournament’s history.
The first breakthrough came when Sophie Molineux dismissed Mandhana, breaking the big partnership before Annabel Sutherland removed Rawal. From there, India lost two quick wickets, as Harmanpreet Kaur fell to Megan Schutt and Harleen Deol, who also crossed 1000 ODI runs, was dismissed by Molineux.
Despite the setback, Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues provided late fireworks, adding a lively 50-run stand with their explosive cameos. However, once the duo departed, there was little India could do despite being well-placed at 294/5.
Journey Of India and Australia At ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025
With both teams having played four games apiece, Australia have won three and have a no-result to their name at the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 while hosts India have two wins and two losses in their kitty.
Australia kickstarted their campaign with a hefty win over the Trans-Tasman rivals, New Zealand. While their next encounter against Sri Lanka was a washout, the Alyssa Healy-led side notched another big win against Pakistan in their third outing. On Sunday, they beat India by 3 three wickets in Visakhapatnam.
India on the other hand, enjoyed successive wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan to begin their tournament. However, their unbeaten run came to an end against the Proteas, who pulled a miraculous win in Visakhapatnam. India were looking to bounce back against Australia but the Aussies were too good against them on Sunday.
India Playing XI: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani
Australia Playing XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt