Revenge is best served cold, especially on an insanely hot day.
On a day when the temperature hovered around 40-degree Celsius, Australia avenged its stunning loss to India at the Women’s World Cup last year in splendid fashion. It won the first of the three-match ODI series by eight wickets with almost 18 overs to spare, at the Reliance Cricket Stadium here on Monday.
The women in yellow adapted well to the conditions and made better use of the wicket.
After the spinners — with considerable assistance from the home batswomen — bowled India out for a modest total on what was a good batting surface, opener Nicole Bolton scored a splendid, unbeaten 100 (101b, 12x4) to take her side home without any trouble.
She paced her innings intelligently, ensured that her team was always way ahead of the asking rate and did not allow herself to be upset by the mix-up that led to the run out of skipper Meg Lanning, who was making a comeback after eight months following an injury.
Bolton used her feet well and swept with great effect. She put on 60 for the opening wicket with Alyssa Healy, 68 with Lanning and 74 for the unfinished third with Elysse Perry.
The morning session, belonged to left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen and leggie Amanda-Jade Wellington, who took seven wickets between them.
With skipper Mithali Raj, the batting mainstay, unable to make the squad because of suspected viral fever, it was important somebody at the top of the order played a long innings. Nobody did!
It was left to a spirited Pooja Vastrakar, in only her second ODI, to give respectability to the innings. Coming in at 113 for seven, she made 51 (56b, 7x4, 1x6) and raised 76 for the eighth wicket with Sushma Verma (41).
However, it wasn’t a memorable day for another Indian teenager. Seventeen-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, making her debut, could make only one, batting at one drop.
The second match is scheduled on Thursday (March 15).
The scores: India: Punam Raut lbw b Wellington 37, Smriti Mandhana c Lanning b Gardner 12, Jemimah Rodrigues c Healy b Wellington 1, Harmanpreet Kaur c Healy b Schutt 9, Deepti Sharma c Carey b Jonassen 18, Veda Krishnamurthy c Mooney b Wellington 16, Sushma Verma c Bolton b Jonassen 41, Shikha Pandey c Bolton b Jonassen 2, Pooja Vastrakar c Haynes b Jonassen 51, Poonam Yadav run out 5, Rajeshwari Gayakwad (not out) 0; Extras (lb-1, w-7): 8; Total (in 50 overs): 200.
Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-45, 3-60, 4-83, 5-87, 6-110, 7-113, 8-189, 9-199.
Australia bowling: Megan Schutt 10-1-37-1, Ellyse Perry 7-0-46-0, Ashleigh Gardner 7-0-34-1, Nicola Carey 10-2-28-0, Amanda-Jade Wellington 6-0-24-3, Jess Jonassen 10-1-30-4.
Australia: Nicole Bolton (not out) 100, Alyssa Healy c Veda b Pandey 38, Meg Lanning run out 33, Ellyse Perry (not out) 25; Extras (lb-3, w-2, nb-1): 6; Total (for two wkts. in 32.1 overs): 202.
Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-128.
India bowling: Shikha Pandey 7-1-38-1, Pooja Vastrakar 3-0-16-0, Deepti Sharma 6-0-47-0, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 5-0-24-0, Poonam Yadav 8-0-49-1, Harmanpreet Kaur 3.1-0-25-0.
Toss: India.
Player-of-the-Match: Bolton.
Australia won by eight wickets with 17.5 overs to spare.
