HOBART: After being comprehensively outplayed in the opening two matches, India will look to salvage pride in the India vs Australia women’s third ODI on Sunday as they attempt to halt the hosts’ dominance.
Despite entering the series as world champions, India have struggled to post imposing totals. Scores of 214 in the first game and 251 for nine in the second proved insufficient, with Australia chasing both targets comfortably to seal the series and maintain their unbeaten record in bilateral ODI contests against India.
The visitors showed brief promise in the second encounter with a 78-run opening stand, but a middle-order collapse losing five wickets for 52 runs dented momentum. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged that inconsistent batting has been the primary setback and stressed the need to bat deeper in the final fixture.
Young opener Pratika Rawal bounced back from a duck to register a half-century, while vice-captain Smriti Mandhana contributed scores of 31 and 58. Harmanpreet herself struck two fifties. However, limited returns from experienced names such as Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma have hurt India’s cause.
The bowling attack has also lacked consistency. Deepti has managed three wickets across two matches, but the pace unit, including Kashvee Gautam and Kranti Gaud, will need early breakthroughs to counter Australia’s strong starts. Fielding lapses further compounded India’s troubles in the previous outings.
Australia, on the other hand, have excelled in all departments. Georgia Voll struck a commanding century in the second ODI, supported by fluent strokeplay from Phoebe Litchfield. In the series opener, contributions came from Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy and Annabel Sutherland.
Their bowling unit, spearheaded by Megan Schutt and Ashleigh Gardner, has provided consistent breakthroughs, with Alana King also making key contributions.
Although India claimed the T20I leg 2-1, Australia’s back-to-back ODI wins have given them a 6-4 advantage in the ongoing multi-format series. The visitors will aim to regroup in Hobart before heading to Perth for the one-off Test, hoping to avoid ending the tour on a disappointing note.
Match starts: 9:20 am IST.