After defeating England in the only Test, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s cricket team is on the verge of defeating Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India put up a brilliant batting display in the first innings and finished with 406 runs in reply to Australia’s 219. Australia finished Day 3 of the only Test at 233/5 and currently leads by 46 runs.
While Harmarpreet Kaur did not have a great outing with the bat, the Indian captain showed her skills with the ball and removed two crucial Australian batsmen, Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath, with the ball. Day 3 of the only test was also part of some major controversial topics.
During the day’s play, the Indian women’s cricket team appealed for obstructing the field against Australian captain Alyssa Healy, however, the on-field umpires rejected the appeal.
Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, while speaking at the end of the day’s play, spoke on the issue and also praised Harmanpreet Kaur for her bowling skills. Sharma believes Kaur gets wickets every time he takes the ball in his hand.
Deepti Sharma praises Harmanpreet Kaur’s bowling skills
Deepti Sharma said: “All these things happen in cricket at a time of heat. Our focus was solely on taking wickets and bowling balls. “I don’t have much to say about it.”
“Harry Di has a golden arm. She always takes a wicket every time she comes into the bowl. I remember she had taken a wicket just as she went into attack in the 50 overs World Cup in New Zealand. She’s always ready (to bowl). Everyone was bowling but we needed a magic player who could get a wicket as the partnership had lasted for a long time. We also got some momentum…”
Team India has advantage over Australia
Coming back to the match, the Australians were restricted to 219 runs in the first innings of the only Test against India. Tahlia McGrath scored 50 runs, while Beth Mooney scored 40 runs. Pooja Vastrakar picked up four wickets for India followed by a three-wicket haul by Sneh Rana.
The Indian girls put up a brilliant show with the bat as they scored 406 in the first innings, courtesy of 74 from Smriti Mandhana and 78 from Deepti Sharma. Ashleigh Gardner took a four-wicket haul, while Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland took two wickets each.
The Indian team is slightly ahead in the match against Australia at 233/5 at the end of the third day of the only Test match. The Indian players will want to finish off Australia quickly and win the match.
The Indian women’s cricket team has performed well in the Test format in recent years and has emerged as the third great team in world cricket. However, Indian players have not been able to lift a single ICC title despite playing well in all the tournaments.
Women’s cricket in India has developed over the years with Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Varma and captain Harmanpreet Kaur being the best players in the team in recent years.
