Australia 102 for 5 (Full 46*, Litchfield 35, Renuka 3-45, Mishra 2-11) defeated India 100 (Rodrigues 23, Schutt 5-19, Sutherland 1-13) by five wickets

After a disastrous start in their bid to win a maiden series over Australia, India were unable to capitalize on the good batting conditions. They lost wickets regularly and were bowled out for just 100 in the 35th over, their lowest total in women’s ODIs since they were dismissed for 79 by Australia in 2012.

India’s bowling attack failed as openers Voll and Phoebe Litchfield quickly scored 48. Litchfield scored 35 from 29 balls, including six boundaries in a row, before her dismissal sparked a collapse. Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney fell in quick succession while Renuka Singh picked three wickets.

Rookie legspinner Priya Mishra made further progress with two shots of her own, but 21-year-old Voll showed maturity and continued her strong form from the WBBL. When Richa Ghosh, the wicketkeeper, missed a difficult chance on the 27th, Voll remained unbeaten on 46 from 42 balls, meaning Australia only clinched victory in the 17th over.

India ultimately rued a disastrous batting performance that quickly collapsed against the outstanding new bowler of Schutt, who produced a menacing outswing and finished with her first five-wicket haul in ODIs. Her shot selection was off and her running between wickets was also sloppy.

Conversely, it was a near-flawless performance from an excited Australian, with Tahlia McGrath making all the right moves as she stepped in for injured starter Alyssa Healy in the three-game series.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur surprisingly chose to bat at a venue where teams have traditionally been good on their heels. Having played just three ODIs since 2023, Priya Punia was selected to open alongside Smriti Mandhana – a golden opportunity to cement her place in the team.

She immediately took on rubble and scored with the first ball before Mandhana hit several great shots in an encouraging start. But things went downhill for India when Mandhana fell behind after trying to fend off a long throw from Schutt, who cleverly changed the angle by going around the wicket.

After a long injury layoff, Harleen Deol was hoping to hold on at number three, a position India found difficult to fill. But Deol and Punia were stuck and struggled to rotate the attack as the pressure mounted. It proved too much for Punia, who holed out in the backfield with just 3 off 17 balls.

At 19 for 2 in the seventh over, Harmanpreet got into the crease much earlier than she would have hoped. India’s shaky running between the wickets almost accounted for Harmanpreet in the 2nd but Alana King missed a shy shot at the stumps from midwicket. Harmanpreet and Deol tried to rebuild and their confidence grew as the ball lost its shine.

But McGrath decided in the 12th over that it was time for a spin and threw the ball to Ashleigh Gardner, who on her third throw had Deol hit to middle where an outstretched Annabel Sutherland used her athleticism to make a great catch.

Sutherland’s influence on the game continued as she took the big wicket of Harmanpreet, who unsuccessfully reviewed an lbw decision. Jemimah Rodrigues, who was fit to play in the closing stages of the WBBL after suffering a wrist injury, briefly thwarted Australia’s plans before going clean on matchday 23 thanks to a great throw from Kim Garth.

Australia were in full swing when Georgia Wareham completed a brilliant run against Deepti Sharma with a direct hit from the deep midwicket boundary. After being sidelined during the T20 World Cup, legspinner King made her return with the wicket of debutant Titas Sadhu as India lost their last six wickets for just 11 runs.

Voll, who received her cap before Mooney’s game, began her international career with a belligerent boundary break on the fourth ball of Australia’s chase. She helped withstand the wobble even as Australia lost a number of wickets towards the end of the chase and secured victory.

India’s late recovery may have saved some face but they will have to quickly regroup for Sunday’s second game at the same venue.