Hobart, Feb 27 (IANS) Half-centuries from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and opener Pratika Rawal carried India to 251/9 in their 50 overs against Australia in the second ODI of the women’s multi-format series at the Bellerive Oval on Friday. The total, though, may prove to be below-par on a benign surface that offered little assistance to the bowlers.
While Harmanpreet top-scored with 54 off 70 balls, Pratika made 52 off 81 deliveries. For Australia, Annabel Sutherland, Alana Kings and Ashleigh Gardner claimed two wickets apiece while keeping the scoring rate firmly in check and never allowing India's batters to fully cut loose.
The innings followed a familiar pattern of promise and frustration for India – Pratika and Smriti Mandhana laid a solid foundation by putting on 78 runs in the first 16 overs before the middle order wobbled. A late flourish of 73 runs off the final 10 overs, driven largely by Harmanpreet's composed fifty and a blistering cameo from debutant Vaishnavi Sharma helped India cross the 250-mark.
Electing to bat first, Pratika and Smriti were eye-catchy with their boundaries in the first five overs. Though the last five overs of the power-play didn’t get any boundary, India ensured to make it a fifth instance in last seven meetings that Australia failed to take a wicket in the mandatory powerplay.
Smriti never looked settled at the crease and was even dropped thrice. But she fell for 31 after she missed an ambitious paddle off Ashleigh Gardner and saw her stumps being shattered, as her 16th fifty-plus stand with Pratika in ODIs came to an end.
After Jemimah Rodrigues edged behind off Annabel, Pratika Rawal looked composed to bring up a well-crafted half-century off 76 balls before being run out in a horrible mix-up with Harmanpreet at the striker’s end.
It proved to be a pivotal moment as Australia clawed back – Amanjot Kaur nicked behind off Nicola Carey, Deepti Sharma holed out to deep mid-wicket and Richa Ghosh was trapped lbw by Alana, leaving Harmanpreet to carry the innings almost single-handedly. She found good support in bringing India’s innings on track via a 55-run stand with Kashvee Gautam, who made 25 off 34 balls, before being castled by Ashleigh.
The India captain rose to the occasion to bring up her half-century off 66 balls before falling for 54 off 70 deliveries, caught by cover-point off Megan Schutt with just an over remaining. After Kranti Gaud hit a handy 19, debutant Vaishnavi Sharma then provided the late impetus India needed by launching a series of two boundaries in the final over to lift the total past 250.
Brief Scores: India 251/9 in 50 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54, Pratika Rawal 52; Ashleigh Gardner 2-39, Alana King 2-41) against Australia
--IANS
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