MUMBAI, Jan 2: India produced an abject batting display after a poor show with the ball to suffer a 190-run loss, their third heaviest defeat, in the third and final ODI as a rampant Australia completed a 3-0 series whitewash here on Tuesday.
Having conceded the highest total ever of 338/7 recorded by any opposition against them, India’s frailties with the bat came to the fore as they were shot out for 148 in 32.4 overs.
None of the Indian batters, who had put up a strong fight in the second ODI here at the Wankhede Stadium, could make a dent in the opposition’s march to a 10th consecutive win in away bilateral games.
For Australia, it is their ninth series win against India and fifth in the opponent’s backyard.
Australia have beaten India in India 3-0 in 2018, 3-0 in 2012 and 4-0 in 1984. India have also suffered 0-3 whitewash in 2006 and 0-5 clean sweep in 2008 in Australia.
India were rocked twice in the powerplay when Megan Schutt (2/23) cleaned up Yastika Bhatia (6) and then Smriti Mandhana (29) played one straight down the throat of Kim Garth at deep extra cover.
India’s plight deepened when skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (3) was dismissed for her third single-digit score in a row.
Looking to sweep Georgia Wareham (3/21), Harmanpreet was beaten by Beth Mooney’s anticipation to quickly move on her left from the first slip to complete the dismissal.
Richa Ghosh (19), coming off a superb 96 in the second ODI, played on to her wickets off Wareham with the Australian leg-spinner once again snaffling crucial wickets.
India’s hopes to take the game deep then suffered a body blow in the 20th over when their most consistent batter in the series Jemimah Rodrigues (25) smashed one straight to Alana King at short midwicket off Ashleigh Gardner.
But the highlight for Australia in the second innings was Phoebe Litchfield’s stunning one-handed catch. She flew on her right to complete a diving effort at cover, to dismiss Amanjot Kaur (3) off King.
King (2/21) then produced the ball of the series when she bamboozled Pooja Vastrakar (14) to get one turning from leg stump to hit the top of off.
Annabel Sutherland also chipped in with a measly 3-0-9-2.
Earlier, Litchfield continued her rich vein of form with a magnificent century as Australia Women flayed India.
Litchfield cracked as many as 16 fours and a six to make 119 off 125 balls and put on a record 189-run stand for the first wicket with Alyssa Healy, who also cashed in on the opportunity with an 85-ball 82 (4x4s, 3x6s).
Australia were relentless with the bat from the word go and despite Shreyanka Patil’s 3/57, the visitors made merry on a placid wicket that proved to be a batting haven.
Litchfield and Healy’s 189-run stand is now the highest for any wicket among all the visiting sides in India in the 50-overs format, bettering South Africans Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt’s 169-run partnership for the first wicket in 2021.
Having possibly missed out on making tons in each of the first two ODIs with scores of 78 and 63, Litchfield showcased her rich arsenal of strokes all around the park to flatten India.
Litchfield, however, was also lucky when Deepti Sharma could not hold onto a tough diving catch to her left, off Amanjot Kaur (10-0-70-2) in the 19th over, when the batter was on 62.
If it was any consolation, Deepti had Litchfield caught by Harmanpreet and with that the right-arm spinner became only the fourth Indian to have taken 100 wickets in one-day cricket.
Patil was the most successful Indian bowlers with 3 for 57 in her 10-over spell, with her twin strikes in the 36th over providing some respite on a tough day out.
Patil trapped Mooney (3) and Tahlia McGrath (0) leg-before on consecutive deliveries to peg Australia back, albeit momentarily, as the visitors’ aggressive approach again brought them back on top.
Gardner’s 27-ball 30 with four fours, Sutherland’s 21-ball 23 (2x4s, 1x6s) and late fireworks yet again from King – 26 not out off 14 balls, three sixes, one four – helped Australia better their own record.
King took 19 runs off Vastrakar’s final over as Australia bettered their own record for highest-ever total against India in ODIs. Australia had made 332/7 in March 2018 at Vadodara.
Apart from a slew of misfields and dropped catches, Indian team was also guilty of conceding 28 extras, which gave further push to the visitor’s massive total.
Having spilled as many as seven catches in the last game, India’s fielding certainly did not seem to have improved a great deal when Mandhana spilled a sitter at deep midwicket to give Ellyse Perry a reprieve. (PTI)
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