On a day when the Indian top order finally found form, his old nemesis Alyssa Healy found a way to be the thorn in their side again. Her impeccable pace of 142 helped Australia chase a target of 331 runs, the highest in W-ODI history, and handed India their second successive defeat at the ACA-VDCA Stadium here on Sunday.
It took the pressure of the occasion to whet Smriti Mandhana's (80) hunger for runs. She deftly anchored India's start after being put in to bat. Fifties for her and Pratika Rawal (75) put pressure on the defending champion early on.
Harleen Deol and Harmanpreet Kaur tried to maintain the pace, but it was an effort that came with a mismatched scoring rate and heartbreakingly sloppy running.
When they fell, Jemimah Rodrigues and a promoted Richa Ghosh lit up the chariot wheel like the night sky on Diwali to help India reach the highest total in World Cup history.
HIGHLIGHTS: India vs Australia, 2025 Women's World Cup
Australia had never had to chase more than 300 ODIs until this match. Healy, who has been back in the dugout in the PowerPlay for every match this World Cup, commanded almost 39 overs of the chase with help from Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner.
Beth Mooney and birthday girl Annabel Sutherland – whose five years helped Australia cut at least 20 runs from India's total – were dismissed cheaply. It was a period of play where local favorite Shree Charani was particularly impressive, frustrating the opposition by stifling the run flow and picking up three wickets for her efforts.
However, Healy held on and brought up her maiden century as skipper. Only a great effort from Sneh Rana ended her stay in the middle bracket at one point, after which the asking rate dropped below six.
Despite a string of wickets ultimately falling, Perry – who had briefly retired, injured with cramps – and Kim Garth saw the side through. Perry capped the nail-biting fixture fittingly with a six on the ground.
Minutes later, a sudden but brief rain shower sent everyone running for shelter. But for the Indian dugout, Australia dampening their knockout hopes will sting even more.
Published on October 12, 2025
