Key events
38th over: India 164-6 (Harmanpreet 40, Gautam 16) Sutherland gets another chance, this time interrupting Molineux’s spell, presumably to avoid Gautam getting her eye in after her assault of the previous over. And she bowls a superb assortment of pace and off-pace to befuddle both batters and restore some control to proceedings.
37th over: India 162-6 (Harmanpreet 39, Gautam 15) India are going boundary crazy! Harmanpreet gets in on the act, profiting from a rare King full toss and dispatching it through midwicket. Gautam then misses a reverse sweep and the ball kicks off the pitch into her grille which prompts a brief concussion protocol intervention.
36th over: India 156-6 (Harmanpreet 34, Gautam 14) Gautam steps to leg and out of nowhere slaps Molineux over cow corner for the most unexpected six! She follows that up by another swept four well in front of square! Just as I was about to revisit Harmanpreet’s tactic of rotating the strike and accepting easy singles early in the over.
35th over: India 145-6 (Harmanpreet 33, Gautam 4) Sutherland is only afforded one over as King is recalled by Healy to spin out India’s tail. But neither bowler nor captain could have expected Kashvee Gautam to get off the mark with a faultless sweep hammered in front of square leg for four. A couple of near misses thereafter but an LBW shout was declined for pitching outside leg then the batter just avoided an outside edge as they hung their blade out to dry.
34th over: India 140-6 (Harmanpreet 32, Gautam 0) Molineux beats new batter Gautam in the air and off the pitch but she does well to anchor her back foot as Mooney whips off the bails in search of a stumping. The bowler is relentless though and the incoming skipper completes a wicket maiden.
WICKET! Ghosh c Voll b Molineux 23 (India 140-6)
Australia have a sixth! It’s too straight to cut but Ghosh goes for the shot anyway, cutting the metronomic Molineux low to Voll at backward point. India’s No 7 lacked timing throughout her innings but departs with a handy 23.
33rd over: India 140-5 (Harmanpreet 32, Ghosh 23) Healy wants to see what pace will do after a passage of spin from both ends, and Sutherland is soon beating the outside edge of Ghosh’s bat and almost knocking the off bail to the floor. But the batter survives and gets exactly what she’s looking for shortly afterwards, a full delivery, in the slot, that she can loft over long-on for a very welcome boundary, the first in about eight overs.
32nd over: India 132-5 (Harmanpreet 30, Ghosh 17) It’s now 43 balls since India’s last boundary. They can’t get Molineux away despite Ghosh’s delicate late-cutting and lap-sweeping.
31st over: India 130-5 (Harmanpreet 30, Ghosh 15) King is landing her stock ball exactly where she wants, which isn’t great news for India. Ghosh does her best to swipe her way out of trouble and connects with a couple of scoring shots.
30th over: India 126-5 (Harmanpreet 29, Ghosh 12) Just a single from Molineux’s second over. India don’t know whether to stick or twist. Harmanpreet needs to take control of this innings before it gets away from her side.
29th over: India 125-5 (Harmanpreet 28, Ghosh 12) Another swing and a miss from Ghosh, then a spinny top-edge that lands just wide of the diving Brown at backward point. King is among the most watchable bowlers in the sport.
28th over: India 122-5 (Harmanpreet 26, Ghosh 11) McGrath is indeed withdrawn from the attack and it’s Molineux who replaces her – and she strikes after just two balls! Left-arm around the wicket, pitching on middle, straightening, beating Ghosh’s defensive push and earning the umpire’s raised index finger. The batter reviews, and is reprieved when ball tracking suggests the delivery was bouncing over the bails. Nonetheless Australia are well on top of this contest. India have lost all momentum since Mandhana’s dismissal.
27th over: India 119-5 (Harmanpreet 24, Ghosh 10) Speaking of weapons, King has a massive LBW shout against Ghosh declined onfield so Healy sends it upstairs. It’s a magnificent legspinner, drifting towards leg stump then spinning and bouncing fiercely back towards the top of off stump. DRS doesn’t take long, revealing the ball pitched fractionally outside leg stump because of all that drift. Ghosh responds by aiming a huge mow but she connects only with fresh air as King weaves her magic. Changing tack, Ghosh plays off the back foot but then almost guides slip-catching practice to Healy, earning a couple down to third for her troubles. Undaunted she slaps a couple through the covers to round off an enthralling over.
26th over: India 114-5 (Harmanpreet 24, Ghosh 6) Ghosh is going hard early and she almost mistimes a drive to the diving Lichfield in the covers. McGrath gets out of an erratic over at the cost of just three singles. It might be time for a return to one of Healy’s strike weapons.
25th over: India 111-5 (Harmanpreet 22, Ghosh 4) Australia have blasted this game wide open with two quick hits. Not that Richa Ghosh seems to mind, striding in and drilling King through extra cover for four. She goes again a few balls later, misses, and the prodigious legspin beats everyone and runs away for four byes. Alana King making things happen, as usual.
WICKET! Deepti c Molineux b King (103-5)
One brings two! And it’s another top-edge down the legside. This time Deepti failing to control King’s extra bounce and sweeping the leggie straight to Sophie Molineux on the 45.
24th over: India 103-4 (Harmanpreet 22, Deepti 2) That wicket breaks the game wide open again for Australia. Mandhana looked set, ready to anchor India’s innings and launch a late assault. Over to Harmanpreet to steer her side to a score.
WICKET! Mandhana c King b McGrath 58 (India 100-4)
Massive moment in this match! McGrath is given a third over despite looking innocuous, and she repays Healy’s faith. It’s not a great delivery, angling down the legside from around the wicket, but Mandhana gets a top edge to it as she tries to help it on its way, and she picks out King’s safe hands at fine-leg.
23rd over: India 100-3 (Mandhana 58, Harmanpreet 21) King beats Harmanpreet with flight and dip but the Indian plays with such soft hands she’s able to adapt and survive. Then the skipper breaks the long streak of one-run scoring shots with a couple through mid-off after using her feet superbly to engineer some room.
22nd over: India 95-3 (Mandhana 55, Harmanpreet 19) This pair display much more intent to McGrath’s seamers, but still the scoreboard is advancing only in singles.
21st over: India 90-3 (Mandhana 53, Harmanpreet 16) King is putting plenty of energy into her deliveries but India are happy to be watchful, for now, minimising any risk.
20th over: India 87-3 (Mandhana 51, Harmanpreet 15) Tahlia McGrath curtails Gardner’s spell but she starts too short to Mandhana who pulls effortlessly from the crease for the single that brings up her half-century. The Indian opener started scratchily and offered plenty of half-chances to the cordon but is now looking in ominous form.
19th over: India 83-3 (Mandhana 49, Harmanpreet 13) Sensing the match might be drifting a touch Healy turns to the dynamic Alana King to shake things up. It takes five deliveries for something to happen but when it does it’s explosive with the ball spitting and turning off a length to confound Harmanpreet. Around that India are patient and happy to deal in singles for the time being.
18th over: India 79-3 (Mandhana 47, Harmanpreet 11) Gardner continues after drinks and India are happy to knock her for three chanceless singles to keep the scoreboard moving.
17th over: India 76-3 (Mandhana 45, Harmanpreet 10) Annabel Sutherland’s fourth over is a maiden, and easily the best of her spell so far, hitting a consistent line and length and finding some natural variation with the wobble seam. She beats Harmapreet lunging forward and has her fishing from the crease.
16th over: India 76-3 (Mandhana 45, Harmanpreet 10) Gardner leaks some wides down the legside but corrects nicely to have Harmanpreet reaching for a cover drive that goes in the vicinity of Lichfield in the air. Mandhana is looking rock solid at the other end, building the partnership nicely with some proactive running.
15th over: India 70-3 (Mandhana 44, Harmanpreet 8) Both batters have settled into a nice rhythm… but Sutherland hits the seam and beats the outside edge of Harmanpreet’s seam, proving there’s still something in this surface for the right delivery. The all-rounder hasn’t bowled with control in her spell so far though and follows the jaffa with a full toss that is square-driven for four.
14th over: India 63-3 (Mandhana 43, Harmanpreet 2) India milk three singles from Gardner’s second over. There’s a little movement off the pitch but the bigger weapon for the slower bowlers today appears to be drift through the air.
13th over: India 60-3 (Mandhana 42, Harmanpreet 0) Sutherland leaks onto Mandhana’s pads and is whipped for a couple of twos in front of square and a four behind it. The Indian opener already looms as the decisive figure in this contest.
12th over: India 52-3 (Mandhana 34, Harmanpreet 0) That really was magnificent control from Gardner, adjusting perfectly form delivery one to two. Top class glove-work from Mooney too to complete the dismissal. Now it’s up to India’s two big guns to arrest this poor start and set a competitive total for Australia to chase.
WICKET! Rodrigues c Mooney b Gardner 8 (India 52-3)
It’s a double change for Australia, and our first look at spin, with Ash Gardner replacing Darcie Brown. Rodrigues is happy with the change, slog sweeping the first ball for four through square leg – but the bowler exacts immediate revenge, dropping her length, curving the ball away in the air, drawing the batter forward and inducing the skinniest edge through to Mooney. Superb bowling.
11th over: India 48-2 (Mandhana 34, Rodrigues 4) Annabel Sutherland into the attack for Australia, replacing the impressive Megan Schutt – and she almost has Rodrigues feathering behind second ball with some extra bounce from just short of a good length. And again three deliveries later! Excellent line and length from the off by the Australian quick.
10th over: India 47-2 (Mandhana 34, Rodrigues 3) Ooof! Smriti Mandhana is starting to cook. Overpitched from Brown and the Indian opener creams it through extra cover with an effortless drive. Short from Brown and the superstar swivels and pulls with a crisp thwack in front of midwicket for four more.
9th over: India 39-2 (Mandhana 26, Rodrigues 3) Schutt has earned a fifth over in this spell but she has the misfortune of being on the receiving end of the shot of the day so far, Mandhana just leaning into a cover drive that races away for the first boundary in front of square. Rodrigues plays some neat tip-and-run to keep the Australian field on its toes.
8th over: India 31-2 (Mandhana 21, Rodrigues 0) Brown’s successful over ends with Mandhana yet again flashing outside her off stump and earning runs with a very streaky thick edge. Australia have two Indian wickets already but it could easily have been more.
WICKET! Verma c&b Brown 4 (India 25-2)
Verma has been trying to force the issue, but has failed to sync with the timing of this surface, so it comes as little surprise to see her offer a return catch to an Australian bowler in their follow through. However, considering how many mistimed strokes have bypassed fielders already it is a surprise to see the ball travel directly to Darcie Brown, who completes the catch diving forward halfway down the pitch. Australia right on top.
7th over: India 23-1 (Mandhana 16, Verma 4) Verma is desperate to get going, stepping inside then outside the line but Schutt is giving nothing away. Then Mandhana rides her luck again! Not for the first time today the Indian opener gets an edge to a Schutt outswinger but frustratingly for Australia it flies between diving fielders. This is becoming an exceptional new ball spell.
6th over: India 17-1 (Mandhana 11, Verma 3) Mandhana unfurls her first shot of note, late-cutting Brown for a single down to third that suggests she’s getting the measure of the pace and bounce of this surface. Brown has started reasonably enough but without the metronomic control of her more senior partner. Mandhana latches onto some length for a couple to midwicket and a third wide of the spell keeps the scoreboard ticking over.
5th over: India 12-1 (Mandhana 8, Verma 2) Schutt continues to make the ball talk and Verma is lucky her poorly-timed pull lands safely over the infield. Mandhana then has her outside edge tickled with consecutive deliveries, the second of which squirting for runs between second and third slips. Schutt may not have been the selectors’ first choice to open the bowling but she has come in and started magnificently.
4th over: India 8-1 (Mandhana 5, Verma 1) While Schutt is finding in-swing from over the wicket, Brown is getting the ball to curve pleasingly away out of the hand. Again length is critical with Verma able to rotate strike with a push into the covers form under her nose. Australia on top early.
3rd over: India 6-1 (Mandhana 5, Verma 0) Another chance! Schutt continues to extract prodigious movement off the pitch, drawing a thick outside edge from the left-handed Mandhana but the ball flies between third slip and the diving gully. Length is going to be critical for Australia with the new ball. Good length deliveries look incredibly threatening but Schutt overpitched a couple of times allowing Mandhana to get in line and stride to the pitch of the ball.
2nd over: India 2-1 (Mandhana 1, Verma 0) Darcie Brown, who has had a quiet series so far, shares the new ball. The right-arm quick starts by angling across Mandhana, looking for one to hold its line and draw the edge. The Indian opener is watchful, picking up a single with a compact drive.
1st over: India 0-1 (Mandhana 0, Verma 0) Schutt almost has two! Verma tries to counterattack but mistimes a straight drive that is just out of reach of the bowler’s left hand in her follow through. Outstanding opening over from the experienced South Australian, who wasn’t selected in the original ODI squad, but has come in today with immediate effect, hooping the ball into the right-handers from over the wicket.
WICKET! Rawal LBW Schutt 0 (India 0-1)
Schutt’s second delivery swings in from wide on the crease, hits a good line and length, and jags massively off the pitch, pinning Rawal on the crease. That looks very out. The Indian opener reviews but DRS does not save her. What a start for Australia!
Megan Schutt has the new ball, looking to exploit any bounce in this pitch, and take advantage of the overcast conditions. Pratika Rawal is on strike.
India’s openers head to the square in the vibrant blue uniforms that served them well in the T20s. Australia have ditched the forest green in favour of canary yellow.
Conditions
With the wind coming off the ocean it’s not as hot and muggy as might have been expected at this time of year. Temperatures are in the high 20s with plenty of cloud cover around which may help the ball swing. Thunderstorms have pock marked the region and remain a hazard but should blow through by mid-afternoon.
India XI
Pratika Rawal is back to open for India after her World Cup injury. Shafali Verma drops down to the middle order.
India 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Pratika Rawal, 3 Shafali Verma, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (c), 5 Jemimah Rodrigues, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Kashvee Gautam, 9 Sree Charani, 10 Kranti Gaud, 11 Renuka Singh
Australia XI
In a huge blow for the hosts Ellyse Perry has been ruled out, which opens the door for Georgia Voll to make some runs, while further down the order Kim Garth has failed to prove her fitness, allowing Megan Schutt an opportunity – Schutt wasn’t even in the original ODI squad, but she has been added along with Lucy Hamilton.
Both Perry and Garth have been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI portion of this series with quad injuries sustained in the third T20i. “Their availability for the Test match will be further assessed at the end of the ODI series,” Cricket Australia have said.
Australia: 1 Alyssa Healy (c), 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Georgia Voll, 4 Beth Mooney (wk), 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Sophie Molienux, 9 Alana King, 10 Megan Schutt, 11 Darcie Brown
India win the toss and will bat first
A fourth consecutive toss win for Harmanpreet Kaur and the world cup winners will get first use of the Allan Border Field pitch. Alyssa Healy would have bowled first anyway.
There are some murmurings from the ground that Australia have a couple of significant injuries to contend with. More on that when XIs are confirmed at the toss.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the first ODI of the multi-format series between Australia and India. We’ll be under way at Allan Border Field in Queensland at 1:50pm local time (2:50pm AEDT).
These are unfamiliar times for Australian cricket. They are unlikely to last long, but it is nonetheless noteworthy that the normally dominant women’s team are not in possession of either World Cup trophy and lost the T20 series to India that preceded these ODIs, alongside the men being bundled out of their T20 World Cup at the humiliation stage.
Mitigating factors abound, most pertinently for us today a changing of the guard as generational greats are replaced by newcomers still refining their craft. At the top of this list is Alyssa Healy, who returns to skipper her country during a valedictory series before international retirement. Healy will captain from the outfield with the veteran already handing over the wicket keeping gloves to Beth Mooney. Sophie Molineux, Healy’s successor as T20 captain, returns to the rank and file.
Australia have never lost at AB Field, but they have never faced an Indian side with so much quality or confidence. The recently crowned World Cup winners chased down a massive 339 the last time these teams faced off, and with momentum from the T20s behind them they are unlikely to be fazed by the occasion.
I’ll be back with the toss and teams shortly. If you want to get in touch while I’m around, you can reach me at jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com.
