Centuries by Voll and Perry steer Australia to a series win over India.
Australia continues to hold a strong position at the top of the ICC Women’s Championship table after securing a decisive 122-run win against India in the second ODI.
Centuries from Georgia Voll and Ellyse Perry propelled Australia to an imposing 371 against India. The challenging target was beyond reach, with India scoring just 249, giving Australia a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
This victory has allowed Australia to widen their lead in the ICC Women’s Championship standings, now firmly positioned at the top with 32 points. They are followed by England with 28 points, while India holds the third spot with 25 points.
In the current cycle,India has 7 more matches to play (1 vs Australia, 3 vs West Indies and 3 vs Ireland) while Australia have 4 more matches to play (1 vs India, 3 vs New Zealand).
Tahlia McGrath, filling in as captain for Australia in Alyssa Healy’s absence, won the toss and chose to bat first – a choice that was vindicated as Australia amassed a significant score. The openers, Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll, established a strong 130-run partnership until Litchfield was out for 60 in the 20th over, caught from Saima Thakur’s delivery.
With a strong base established, Perry partnered with the well-positioned Voll to maintain the run momentum. Together, they contributed 92 runs for the second wicket, a partnership highlighted by Voll’s celebration of her first international century in only her second match.
Thakor secured her second dismissal by taking Voll’s wicket, yet India’s challenges persisted. A pivotal partnership emerged between Perry and Beth Mooney, contributing 98 runs. In the course of this partnership, Perry achieved her third WODI century and Mooney scored a commendable half-century.
Captain McGrath’s crucial 20-run contribution helped Australia set a formidable total of 371, presenting India with a challenging target to pursue.
India’s pursuit began on an unstable note with Smriti Mandhana being clean bowled by Kim Garth in the fourth over. The difficulties persisted as Harleen Deol was dismissed for a low score shortly after the powerplay. However, Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur brought stability with a 66-run partnership, propelling India beyond the hundred-run threshold. The momentum was interrupted once more when Richa Ghosh, who had scored a leading 54 runs, was clean bowled by Alana King.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur contributed an additional 37 runs before the Indian skipper was caught off Megan Schutt’s bowling. Rodrigues scored 43 from 39 balls before being dismissed by Sophie Molineux. With half the team out, Australia’s win was all but assured.
Minnu Mani, batting alongside the tailenders, added a crucial 46 runs to take India’s score over 200. Despite this effort, India’s total was significantly below their target of 372.
The third and concluding One Day International is scheduled to take place at the WACA Ground on Wednesday, December 11.