IND vs AUS, 1st ODI Highlights: Aussies complete five-wicket win, India largely poor

IND Women vs AUS Women, 1st ODI LIVE Score: In what could be the poorest start to the ODI series, the Indian team was reeling at 91/5 at one stage, with all their batters failing collectively. If that wasn’t enough, Megan Schutt triggered a collapse with a fifer as India was bundled out for a mere 100 runs. Eventually India lost the match by 5 wickets.

Remember that unbeatable Australian men’s cricket team from the early 2000s, where they would come back from any situation and snatch the match away from the opposition? Well, that pretty much sums up the current Aussie women’s side too. Australia, in the women’s game, are the best and by quite a distance, and also a nemesis for Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team India for sure. While the ongoing BGT series kicked off in Perth, the battle between the ladies is set to begin in Brisbane. On that note, let us look at the live score and real-time updates for the opening ODI of the 3-match series below.

AUS vs IND Live Score, 1st Women’s ODI:

Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team Faces Stiff Challenge

As the Indian women start their three-match ODI series vs Australia Down Under, here’s a quick reminder that it would be the biggest challenge for the young, inexperienced bunch to make it a successful tour. The IND vs AUS series will begin on Thursday at Brisbane, and the first thing on Team India’s mind would be to improve their dismal record against the Aussies in ODIs.

In 53 encounters, while the Indians have won only 10, Aussies have emerged victorious on 43 occasions. If that is not enough, the visiting side would be playing without some of their top players, giving a chance to newer players, with an eye on the 2025 World Cup. Apart from Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, a lot of focus will be on comeback girls Priya Punia, and Harleen Deol, who are in the side after a while now.

Shafali Verma Out, Chance for Youngsters

Shafali Verma was axed from the squad, and now it is a chance for either of them, to prove a point, that they belong in the team. Priya, in fact, was a part of the IND A vs AUS A series too, where she played six matches across formats, and her experience will only come in handy. Yes, Priya and Harleen won’t be the batting mainstays, but then decent performances from them will only help the team and other senior batters — Jemimah, Smriti, Richa and Deepti.

Having said that, it will be the bowling front that looks packed with new faces, most of whom played in Australia for the A team, a few months back. All eyes will be on leg-spinner Priya Mishra, who could be a long-term answer for someone like Poonam Yadav, who would pick wickets in truck loads. She has already played two ODIs vs NZ, and was mighty impressive in the A series too, bagging a fifer in one of the matches there.

All Eyes on Titas Sadhu and Priya Mishra

Then, off-spinner Minnu Mani would look to cement her spot in place of out-of-favor Sneh Rana, and has impressed in the 4 T20Is she has played so far. Also, this would be a chance for injury-stricken Titas Sadhu to make a mark for herself, and take her rightful place as the leader of the pace bowling attack. The Australian series won’t be easy for these players particularly, given the level of competition, but will only prepare them for the bigger challenges that lie ahead.

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Uma Chetry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Saima Thakor

Australia squad: Tahlia McGrath (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Darcie Brown, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham