Australia remained perfect in the ongoing Women's ODI World Cup 2025 with a three-wicket win over hosts India at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. With this win, the Aussies took first place in the standings, while India remained third after back-to-back losses.
Here are the key talking points from the ODI World Cup 2025 match between India and Australia:
India's lack of batting depth
Going into the match, there were concerns about the form of India's top batsmen, especially the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues. However, against the Aussies, there were stable partnerships that were strong in the crease for the Women in Blue. From the 155-run stand of openers Smriti and Pratika Rawal, you could see the partnership developing until about the halfway point. After Annabel Sutherland sent back Richa Ghosh, at which point India were 294/5 in 43 overs, the last five batters in the line-up could score only 36 runs as the side were bowled out in 48.5 overs. Even skipper Harmanpreet said after the match that the team was probably 30-40 runs short and contributions from the lower order could have contributed to that.
Healy's sublime knock
Australian captain Alyssa Healy scored 142 off 107 balls and stuck with her side's chase from the start until more than half of the way, something India lacked in its innings. Healy had good partners throughout her knockout – her opening partner in Phoebe Litchfield helping the Women in Yellow get off to a great start in their 331-run chase. Then Ashleigh Gardner's 45 and Ellyse Perry's brave 47 – she returned towards the end after an early retirement – helped the Aussies to victory. But if it wasn't for Healy's sixth ODI century, Australia's chase might have hit more bumps than it has.
India's five-bowler strategy
So far, India have chosen to stick with five full-time bowling options, with the likes of Harmanpreet and Pratika joining in for a few overs. However, this strategy can become too predictable for the opponent. It seems that the Indian bowlers are missing a strike bowler with the most experienced pacer in the side, Renuka Singh, having played the match against Pakistan. While Harmanpreet said after the match against Australia that they do not want to change the combination that had brought the team success ahead of the tournament, the Women in Blue may need to incorporate some variety into their bowling attack, with a crucial match against England coming up next.
Published on October 13, 2025
