Phoebe Litchfield’s stunning boundary-laden 88 helped Australia’s women romp home to an eight-wicket victory in the opening one-day international against India in New Chandigarh.
India won the toss and elected to bat, setting Australia an imposing target in the first of three one-dayers, which are effectively warm-up games for the upcoming World Cup.
But the hosts, having posted 281 for seven in their 50 overs, were clinically overhauled by Australia with Litchfield leading the way, cracking 14 fours in an 80-ball knock while Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland also made impressive half-centuries.
Earlier, the openers Smriti Mandhana (58) and Pratika Rawal (64) and then Harleen Deol also went past the 50 mark for India, the latter at No 3 becoming the first of two victims of Megan Schutt (two for 45), who became the ninth Australian woman to play 100 ODIs.
Richa Ghosh (25) and Radha Yadav (19) added valuable runs down the Indian order while Deepti Sharma was unbeaten on 25 in the face of tight bowling from Ellyse Perry, Sutherland and Georgia Wareham.
In reply, the Australia captain and opener, Alyssa Healy, looked determined to take the game to India before she fell to the all-rounder Kranti Goode for a brisk 27.
But then it was time for Litchfield, next backed up by Perry, to really impose herself on the game as she reached her half-century from 44 deliveries.
Perry’s contribution was ended early when the 34-year-old was forced to retire with a calf cramping on 30, but the player-of-the-match Litchfield maintained the momentum until she fell 12 runs short of a third one-day century when caught off Sneh Rana.
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That left Mooney and Sutherland, who were unbeaten on 77 and 54 respectively, to see the visitors past the target, reaching 282 for two in 44.1 overs with 35 balls to spare, in what was the fourth-highest run chase in women’s one-dayers.
