In sport, Australians are always in it to win it, whether it’s a decider or a dead rubber. Annabel Sutherland echoed this sentiment in her clarion call to go for the 3-0 sweep ahead of the third and final ODI between India and Australia. Her team did just that, beating the host by a massive 190 runs at the Wankhede Stadium here on Tuesday.
The Aussie juggernaut was led by a young and unassuming Phoebe Litchfield. After finishing 2023 as the second-highest run scorer in women’s ODIs (485 runs), the 20-year-old rang in the new year with her second ODI hundred. Litchfield vindicated Healy’s decision to bat first, putting on a 189-run opening partnership, the highest for Australia against India in women’s ODIs. The Indian response eventually fell short of this stand alone by 41 runs.
Pooja Vastrakar ripped into Healy’s stumps in the 29th over, with the Aussie captain missing out on a century by 18 runs. Ellyse Perry couldn’t add to her half century haul, caught leg before by Amanjot Kaur for 16.
