INDW vs AUSW, 3rd ODI: Phoebe Litchfield stars as Australia beat India by 190 runs to complete 3-0 series sweep

Australia opener Phoebe Litchfield hit a match-winning hundred as the tourists hammered India women by 190 runs in the third and final WODI to seal a 3-0 series sweep over.

The hosts in Mumbai on January 2, 2024. Litchfield smashed a 125-ball 119 and also shared a record 189-run opening stand with her captain Alyssa Healy to propel Australia to their highest total against India, amassing 338 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

Litchfield and Healy gave the Indian bowling attack a rough time after Australia chose to bat. Both Australian openers started dealing with boundaries, pushing the team past 100 runs within 16 overs, and they reached the 150-run milestone by the 24th over. Healy departed after playing a brilliant 82-run knock, while Litchfield powered on, scoring her second WODI century with an impressive 119 runs off 125 balls, including 16 fours and 1 six.

India faced early setbacks while chasing the record total against Australia. Megan Schutt’s (2/23) superb bowling accounted for Yastika Bhatia (6) and Smriti Mandhana (29), the latter falling victim to Kim Garth at deep extra cover.

The situation worsened for India as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (3) continued a trend of single-digit scores, dismissed by Georgia Wareham (3/21) due to Beth Mooney’s sharp anticipation at slip. Richa Ghosh (19), coming off a strong 96 in the previous ODI, succumbed to Wareham, further bolstering the Australian leg-spinner’s crucial role in taking wickets.

India’s aspirations suffered a significant blow when Jemimah Rodrigues (25), a consistent performer in the series, hit straight to Alana King at short midwicket off Ashleigh Gardner in the 20th over. The standout moment for Australia in the second innings came through Phoebe Litchfield’s exceptional one-handed catch at cover, dismissing Amanjot Kaur (3) off King’s bowling. King’s delivery to dismiss Pooja Vastrakar (14) from leg stump, hitting the top of off, was hailed as the ball of the series, adding to Australia’s strong performance. Annabel Sutherland also contributed with an economical 3-0-9-2 spell.