Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana put India in the driver's seat in India vs Australia one-off Test
The hosts bowled Australia out for 219 and then made their way to 98/1 at close on Day 1.
Pooja Vastrakar continued her fine form with the ball, before Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana added a 90-run partnership for the first wicket, as India gained the upper hand against Australia on Day 1 of the one-off Test at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday.
Electing to bat first, Australia were bowled-out for 219 runs – their lowest-ever Test total against India. After a three-wicket haul against England last week, Pooja stepped up once again to return with her best bowling figures (4/53) in the format. India carried forward the momentum with the bat thanks to their openers and ended the day at 98/1, trailing by 121 runs.
India, who made just one change as Richa Ghosh replaced the injured Shubha Satheesh, had benefitted a great deal from winning the toss against England. They put up a huge total on Day 1 before the pitch began to crumble and the bowlers took advantage over the next two days. This time, Australia had the edge as they won the toss and got to bat first. There was a lot more grass on the surface but with the ball staying low repeatedly in the first session itself, it seemed the visitors would be in a strong position if they managed to post a decent first-innings total.
However, India ensured they got to stumps in the driver’s seat on the back of a determined bowling performance. Australia found themselves in a serious spot of bother early on as they were reduced to 7/2 in the second over, with Phoebe Litchfield run-out for a duck without facing a ball.
Ellyse Perry, Australia’s most experienced player, was in next and she lasted just two deliveries. In the second innings against England, Pooja had cleaned up Natalie Sciver-Brunt, one of the finest batters in the game, with a superb delivery that nipped in sharply. On Thursday, the right-arm pacer produced another ripper to cut through Perry’s defence and rattle the stumps.
Australia got their biggest partnership thereafter as vice-captain Tahlia McGrath produced an impressive counterattack. India’s bowlers erred by bowling a wide line consistently and the right-hander took advantage to race to 33 off 20 balls. McGrath went on to complete her third Test half-century but was dismissed by Sneh Rana in the next over as Rajeshwari Gayakwad took a well-judged catch above her head at mid-wicket.
Opener Beth Mooney and skipper Alyssa Healy, in at No. 5, spent time at the crease but couldn’t convert their starts. It was an unbeaten 28 by Kim Garth at No. 10 that helped Australia get to a somewhat competitive total.
For India, Sneh bowled the most overs (22.4) and did well to return with a three-for, while fellow off-spinner Deepti Sharma chipped in with two wickets, but the highlight of the innings was Pooja’s spell. After sending back Perry with arguably the ball of the day, the 24-year-old showed her versatility as a bowler to dismiss Mooney with a bouncer. The left-hander tried to fend the ball but only managed to guide it to first slip. None of the four wickets that Pooja picked were of tailenders, as Annabel Sutherland was trapped in front and Ash Gardner edged one to the ‘keeper.
“During our practice sessions, we had felt that this pitch won’t be as easy as the one at DY Patil Stadium,” said Pooja. “We knew we would have to work hard here and hit the ball (onto the deck) as much as possible. Our bowling coach (Troy Cooley) told us to bowl wicket-to-wicket and try to set up batters by bringing a few balls in. Naturally, I’m an out-swing bowler but based on the videos we saw, we felt that they (English and Australian batters) face difficulties against deliveries that come in. So, we trained to be able to use the wobble seam effectively.”
Tahlia added: “Vastrakar bowled extremely well, the ball she got Pez (Perry) with was an absolute peach. She was getting sideways movement off the seam both ways, and just bowls a relentless length that keeps you on your toes and is perfect for Test cricket. She’s an extremely talented cricketer and was disciplined with her skills.”
Despite fielding for 77.4 overs in sultry conditions, Shafali (40) and Smriti (43*) didn’t falter in terms of footwork and concentration and added a big opening partnership to strengthen India’s grip on the contest. The right-left pair struck a string of boundaries against the new ball as Australian pacers Lauren Cheatle, Garth and Perry struggled to bowl consistent lines and lengths.
Australia finally got the breakthrough in the 17th over as left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen trapped Shafali in front with her fourth delivery. Richa and Jemimah were padded up but India sent Sneh at No. 3, who played out the last two overs of the day along with Smriti.
Recommended Topics 
