On Sunday, October 12, Australia defeated India by three wickets in a thrilling ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2025 clash at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The Australian batting lineup
chased down the highest score in Women’s One Day International (WODI) history, going past 330-run total set by India on the back of an epic hundred from their captain Alyssa Healy, who got 141 off just 107 with 21 fours and three sixes to become the player of the match.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Alyssa Healy decided to field first, but Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal made them pay by sharing a 155-run partnership for the first wicket, which was broken by Sophie Molineux. They put their name in the history books by becoming the highest opening stand in Women’s One Day International (WODI) against Australia, beating the previous record set by an English pair a few years ago.
Mandhana, who scored 80 off just 66 with nine fours and three sixes, became the quickest and fastest to 5,000 runs in WODI history apart from becoming the first woman to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year. Rawal also reached her maiden fifty in ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, but after her dismissal on the bowling of Annabel Sutherland, the likes of Harleen Deol and Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur kept the momentum going in the Indian innings.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh scored quick-fire 30s to put India in a great position before Sutherland deceived them with slower balls in quick succession, to halt the Indian innings in the last 10 overs phase. India got bowled out in 48.5 overs, leaving at least 20 runs out there with Sutherland taking her maiden five-wicket haul in WODI cricket in 9.5 overs while conceding just 40 runs.
In the run chase, Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield put up a perfect opening partnership for Australia, scoring 85 runs together before Shree Charani got the latter dismissed for 40 off 39. Healy kept taking the attack to the Indian bowlers, sharing a 69-run stand for the second wicket with Ellyse Perry, to put Australia in a great position before the latter retired hurt due to a hamstring issue.
India spinners took a couple of quick wickets of Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland in quick succession to bring their team back into the contest. But then, Alyssa Healy shared a 95-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ashleigh Gardner to give Australia complete control of the situation while going past her third hundred in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Shree Charani got the big wicket of Alyssa Healy in the 39th over of the Australian innings before the Indians took three wickets in a jiffy to stay in the contest. With that, Australia needed 28 runs in 29 balls with just three wickets in hand, but the return of Ellyse Perry to the crease proved to be a difference maker alongside Kim Garth, and she finished off the match with a six on the bowling of Sneh Rana.
