IND W v AUS W: Harmanpreet's twin strikes help India reduce Australia to 233/5
Mumbai, Dec 23: Captain Harmanpreet Kaur claimed two crucial wickets, bowling in a Test at home after nine years after Tahila McGrath struck a defiant second half-century of the match as Australia led by 46 runs with five wickets remaining, leaving on knife's edge the one-off Test of the series at the Wankhede Stadium.
Australia rode on a brilliant 73 by McGrath and her 84-run partnership for the third wicket with Ellyse Perry (45) and a 66-run stand with skipper Alyssa Healy (32) as they wiped out India's lead of 187.
Harmanpreet, who has the third-best match figures of 9-85 against South Africa in 2014, brought herself into the attack and sent back McGrath off the fifth ball of her first over and then a few overs later, got Healy to reduce Australia to 221/5.
At stumps on the third day, Australia were 233/5 from 90 overs with Annabel Sutherland batting on 12 with Ashleigh Gardner on seven, with all three results possible in the match.
What gives the Indians hope is that Australia are effectively 46 runs with only 5 wickets in hand going into the final day on Sunday. The hosts will now hope to knock off the remaining Australian wickets as soon as possible and then score the runs limited to claim victory. Australia on their part would hope to extend the lead to 150-odd and then try and bundle out India in two sessions or so.
After Australia ended India's first innings in 36 minutes in the morning after the addition of just 30 runs to the overnight score of 376/7, openers Mooney and Litchfield raised 49 runs for the first wicket before they squandered the advantage by losing two easy wickets.
Mooney was the first to go, run out by Richa Ghosh for 33 off 37 balls, studded with seven boundaries. Mooney, who had batted well in the first innings too, ventured out of the crease in her follow-through while playing a defensive shot and Ghosh, stationed at silly point struck the stumps with Mooney well out, casually ambling to the crease not expecting Ghosh to hit the stumps. Australia lost their first wicket for 49 runs.
A few minutes later, Litchfield joined her in the dressing room, bowled by Sneh Rana for 18 off 44 balls.
Three balls after hitting a beautiful boundary, and walking down the pitch to punch a fullish delivery through covers, Litchfield attempted a reverse sweep off a full-length ball on the off-stump, completely missed the line and had the furniture disturbed. There was no need for her to manufacture that reverse sweep as she was doing well playing traditional shots.
From 49 for no loss, Australia slumped to 56/2 in the space of 12 deliveries a few minutes before the lunch break.
However, Perry and McGrath prevented another collapse as they cautiously built a good partnership to win the afternoon session for Australia, who added 93 runs to the score losing one wicket.
Perry survived an appeal for lbw off a defensive prod off Rajeshwari Gayakwad as the Indians reviewed it after the umpire rejected the appeal. DRS ruled that the impact was outside off stump as India lost a review.
The 33-year-old right-hander struck five boundaries in her 91-ball 45 as they tackled the Indian attack without taking many risks. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur used five bowlers including part-timer Jemimah Rodrigues but they failed to get a breakthrough.
However, off-spinner Sneh Rana struck the vital blow for the hosts when she sent back Perry, who went back into the crease to attempt a flick off a full delivery going down the leg side and got a thin edge that wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia did well to catch, moving brilliantly towards her left in a flash. Australia were down to 140/3 in 42.4 overs.
McGrath, who started very slowly, opened up a bit later as she scored seven fours in her well-compiled knock. She had her heart in her mouth when a thick outside edge off a forward prod just eluded Sneh Rana at first slip as she was standing a bit wide.
A solid punch through extra cover off Rajeshwari Gayakwad, which brought the fifty of their partnership off 69 balls, a cut past cover off Pooja Vastrakar in the 23rd over and a charge down the wicket to loft Gayakwad over extra cover were the best of her seven boundaries.
She completed her second half-century of this match off 119 balls, becoming the first visiting batter to score the fifties in both innings of a match in India.
The 28-year-old right-hander struck a hat-trick of boundaries off Renuka Singh in the 64th over, starting with a sublime drive through cover, stepping up to take the ball on half-volley. On the next ball, she rocked back and cut a short and wide one through point and followed it up with a driver to the left of mid-on off a delivery on the middle and leg. The three boundaries in a row helped Australia wipe out the deficit and take the lead.
The player from South Australia also got past her previous highest score of 61 which she scored in the first innings of the 2023 Ashes Test at Nottingham.
McGrath also got two out decisions by the on-field umpires overturned using the DRS as she and skipper Alyssa Healy added 66 runs for the fifth wicket partnership.
With her bowlers failing to dislodge McGrath and Healy, India skipper Harmanpreet brought herself into attack and struck off the fifth delivery of her first over.
McGrath, who got an out decision overturned on DRS review as the TV umpire ruled the ball was going legside, played a forward defensive shot to a tossed-up delivery, got an inside edge and the ball sneaks through the gap to disturb the leg stump.
Bowling for the first time in a Test in India since 2014 when she claimed 9-85 against South Africa in Mysore, Harmanpreet Kaur claimed another wicket, getting her counterpart Healy for 32.
The Indian skipper had thrown the ball aggressively towards Healy after fielding on her own bowling and appealed for obstruction to the field after the Australia captain blocked it with the bat. They went to the boundary. The umpire ruled that the Australian captain was saving herself from injury when she blocked the ball with her bat.
Harman sent back Healy off the next delivery as the ball spun back and missed the edge off Healy's sweep shot and struck the pad. The umpire raised his finger and it was confirmed by DRS after Healty took the chance as DRS proved that there was no bat involved and the ball-tracker showed three red lights as the Indians jumped in joy. Healy scored 32 off 101 balls, hitting just one boundary.
Australia lost their fifth wicket for 221 runs, leading by just 34 runs with five wickets in hand, handing India the advantage.
Brief scores (at Tea, Day 3):
Australia Women 219 & 233/5 in 90 overs (Ellyse Perry 45, Tahila McGrath 73, Alyssa Healy 32; Harmanpreet Kaur 2-23, Sneh Rana 2-53) lead India Women 406 all out in 126.3 overs (Deepti Sharma 78, Smriti Mandhana 74, Jemimah Rodrigues 73; Richa Ghosh 52, Pooja Vastrakar 47; Ashleigh Gardner 4-100, Annabel Sutherland 2-41, Kim Garth 2-58) by 46 runs.