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India Women recorded a historic win in a one-off Test by defeating Australia women by eight wickets. Australia Women are touring India for a multi-format series that began on December 21 with a one-off Test at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. On the fourth day, the Indian batters, including the likes of Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Jemimah Rodrigues successfully chased the 75-run target to register India women’s first-ever Test win over Australia by a margin of eight wickets.
Earlier on Day 1, Australia skipper Alyssa Healy won the toss and let her side put a score on the board. While Tahlia McGrath’s half-century did guide her side to get some stability, India bowlers proved to be lethal on home ground. Bowling wizards Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana’s four and three-wicket hauls in the first inning helped them restrict the rivals to 219 runs.
In return, Smriti Mandhana hit a brilliant 106-ball 74, accompanied by Jemimah Rodrigues’ 72-run knock as well as Richa Ghosh’s 52-run knock helped India gain a 187-run lead. The guests were expecting to make a comeback in the third inning, but it seemed that the Indians were not in the mood to let go of the lead. Australia rode on Tahlia McGrath’s 73 as they desperately hoped for a comeback, Rana showed no mercy.
Harmanpreet’s squad managed to remove the last five Australian wickets for just 28 wickets on the final day, with a total of 261. Shafali opened India’s 75-run chase, and while she failed to deliver a decent show, she was backed by Smriti Mandhana. The Indian vice-captain finished the match with a boundary and helped her side script history by winning the first-ever Test against the mighty Aussies. Notably, this was the sixth time both sides clashed in the longest-format match.
