The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That concludes our coverage of the first of three ODIs between India and Australia. A target in excess of 280 seemed out of reach in Women's ODI cricket a few years ago - this Australian outfit made it look ever so easy! Despite a strong batting performance, India will need more out of their bowlers. Both sides meet right here at the Wankhede on Saturday for the 2nd ODI. Join us right here on Sportskeeda for our coverage of the same, and keep an eye on our tabs for a whole lot more! This is Rajarshi Das, signing off on behalf of Arya Sekhar Chakraborty. See you later!
Phoebe Litchfield is the Player Of The Match! Here's what she has to say: This one's special, but all the previous (POTM) awards in ODI cricket are as special. Pez (Ellyse Perry) just played her game, struck down the ground really well, I just played my natural game. That's partnership in cricket, ebbs and flows. The whole partnership was enjoyable, but when we brought each other's fifties up, that was enjoyable. The pace is there, not much spin on this track. Played pretty well in the Test match. Probably spun lesser than I thought. Working on scoring on the worse balls, and taking on the game a bit more, not getting out on 80s, that's pretty much what I'm looking to work on.
Alyssa Healy (Australia captain): Sometimes you have to get out of the way for the players to have their day out. Nice to start the ODI series with a win. I mean we could have tidied up our back ten overs. We should have kept them to 250 but in the batting department, this is the blueprint which we want to follow. Its all about playing straight, sticking to our natural game and it helps when the ball skids on. The girls bounced back strongly and showed what they are capable of.
Harmanpreet Kaur (India captain): Yeah I think in the first innings we managed to get those runs. We knew it was a defendable score but fielding was the area which didn't work out well. After a while the dew was there but still the bowlers found their lengths. It's the fielding which I am not happy with and I feel that played a big role. Pooja bought us back to the game. We need to keep doing the right things. We need to just back ourselves. They have a good sidd and we have to play the aggressive cricket we have been playing for twenty days.
Ellyse Perry: Was awesome fun to bat with Phoebe (Litchfield). We had a word about building a partnership, something we weren't able to do in the Test match. The conditions were nice today, good to bat on. The game's come along a long way. We need to raise the bar - we've been pushed by India. 280 seemed par, as the lights coming on the ball began coming on better, the bowlers had a low margin for error with the field restrictions. We started positively and capitalized, never loosening the grip. Christmas was a lot of fun, couple of days off, different for some of us. Nice to have a contingent of 50-odd people at the venue. The switch in format was a nice experience as well. The energy we had on the field matched with our bowling, nice to finish off with a win.
A dominant display from Australia's batting line-up take them past the Indian total at the Wankhede this evening. 282 might have posed as a threat to quite a few teams, given India's penchant of wickets with the new ball courtesy Renuka Singh Thakur - wasn't the case today. The Aussies needed two solid partnerships to seal the deal - while Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry laid the groundwork, Tahlia McGrath, alongside Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner later on, led the way past the line.
Three balls into the innings, Sneh Rana flung herself and pouched Healy. A piece of fielding of that standard would propel the confidence among the ranks of any team - India tried their best to assert their dominance with some sharp fielding post that. However, the bowling left a lot to be desired - plenty of loose stuff from the pacers, and then Saika Ishaque in her first over, and gradually, the duo of Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry settled in.
Once they were set, all Litchfield and Perry needed to do was keep the score ticking, and so they did. Boundary balls were frequent in between, and the duo made the most of it more often than not. Both batters reached half-centuries eventually, asserting their dominance in the run-chase. There weren't too many moments of scare for either batter, Perry almost chipped one back to Rana, but the ball landed just in front of the bowler.
A hundred seemed to be there for the taking for both Perry and Litchfield. However, both of them departed in the 70s, their departures being down to poor choices of shots. Tahlia McGrath and Beth Mooney picked up from where they left off, the runs kept coming in singles, and once set, McGrath went after the bowling as Mooney played second fiddle. The pace-bowling all-rounder toyed with the field towards the latter stages, rendering Harmanpreet's frequent bowling changes completely ineffective. Eventually, Australia were home and dry - claiming the contest by 6 wickets.
There's the boundary McGrath was looking for to end the game! Australia take the honours at the Wankhede - this is the second-highest successful run-chase in Women's ODIs!
46.3 Sneh Rana to Tahlia McGrath, FOUR! McGrath has sealed the game for Australia in style. What a magnificent run chase from Australia. Comes down the track and launches the tossed up delivery a shade outside off, over the mid-off fielder for a boundary.
46.2 Sneh Rana to Tahlia McGrath, a full toss a shade outside off, punched away straight to the cover fielder.
46.1 Sneh Rana to Ashleigh Gardner, flatter on a length around the pads, worked away towards the backward square leg region for a single.
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Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
