Australia Women Beat India by 8 Wickets in First ODI at New Chandigarh

Australia Women started their tour of India in commanding fashion, defeating the hosts by eight wickets in the first ODI at New Chandigarh on Saturday. This result extends India’s losing streak against Australia in ODIs to eight matches, with their last win coming in 2021 at MacKay.

Phoebe Litchfield Stars
Young opener Phoebe Litchfield was the star for Australia, playing a classy 88 off 80 balls to lay the foundation for chasing 282. Her innings included 14 boundaries and earned her the Player of the Match award. Litchfield played with composure, rotated the strike well, and punished anything loose before being dismissed by Sneh Rana in the 27th over.

India’s Batting Effort

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Smriti Mandhna Batter

Earlier, India’s top order showed promise. Pratika Rawal (64 off 96) and Smriti Mandhana (58 off 63) shared a 114-run opening stand, while Harleen Deol contributed an aggressive 54. However, India’s middle order could not fully capitalize, as regular strikes from the Australian bowlers kept the total in check. India finished at 281/7, a competitive score but slightly under par on a good batting surface.

Australia’s Chase
Australia’s reply was confident and controlled. Skipper Alyssa Healy gave a brisk start before being dismissed for 27. Litchfield and Ellyse Perry (30 off 38, retired hurt) ensured the momentum stayed with Australia. After Litchfield’s dismissal, Beth Mooney (77 off 74*) and Annabel Sutherland (54 off 51*) guided Australia home comfortably in the 45th over, with 35 balls to spare.

Apart from Sneh Rana (1/51), India’s bowlers lacked control, with others conceding more than 5.5 runs per over. The performance raises concerns for India ahead of the 2025 Women’s World Cup, especially in converting good starts and maintaining pressure with the ball.

Brief Scores

► India Women: 281/7 in 50 overs. Pratika Rawal 64, Smriti Mandhana 58, Harleen Deol 54. Megan Schutt 2/45.

► Australia Women: 282/2 in 44.1 overs. Phoebe Litchfield 88, Beth Mooney 77*, Annabel Sutherland 54*. Sneh Rana 1/51.

► Result: Australia won by 8 wickets.

► Player of the Match: Phoebe Litchfield

Player Reactions

► Phoebe Litchfield: "Yeah got a bit of luck at the start but enjoyed my time with the skipper and Pez [Ellyse Perry]. I think the conditions here are nice for batting. You get some flat pitches in India. Yeah, I think so. You get to play a hockey for that, nice wrist work, and it helps.

I think as a group we were good. Our bowlers bowled very well to keep it down to 280. Great to start the way we did in India."

► Alyssa Healy (Australia Women Captain): "Yeah, proud of the girls. To lose the toss and bowl in the heat, we did well and I was proud of that effort.

It was identified early that it was the case. Taking wickets inside the powerplay in India is important. But if you don't do it, it's about being smart and pull back things.

We want to push the limits when we bat first and it's no different when we are batting second. Phoebe was outstanding. But everyone that came in contributed. We never took the foot off the throat"

► Harmanpreet Kaur (India Women Captain): "Well, I think we were 20-30 runs short. Our bowlers tried to create opportunities, but we were not able to do so. Overall, it was good cricket. The next game is very important for us. In both innings, the pitch played better, which is why runs were on the board. But I felt we could have added 20-30 runs.

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Harmanpreet Kaur Batter

We were unable to take on the opportunities created by our bowlers. We will look to get better. Well, we will try whatever we have on our side. This was our best combination. As I mentioned, their batters batted very well, and we need to accept that."

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