Image: Smriti Mandhana's brilliant century led India to a 102-run win / © ESPNcricinfo
The evening at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh saw the second ODI of the Australia Women’s tour of India on September 17, 2025, come alive under the floodlights. Australia Women won the toss and, sensing an opportunity to exploit the early conditions, chose to field first. India Women rose to the challenge, crafting a commanding total of 292 in 49.5 overs, setting Australia a steep target of 293, which they failed to chase.
India’s innings began with openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana striding out to face Australia’s pace attack. Rawal looked calm and collected, handling the new ball with poise. She scored a steady 25 off 32 balls, stroking four boundaries with crisp timing, and built a crucial 70-run opening stand with Mandhana. This partnership gave India a solid start, letting Mandhana ease into her groove. Rawal’s stay ended in the 11.3rd over when she edged one to Georgia Wareham off Ashleigh Gardner’s spin, but her role in setting the tone was undeniable.
Mandhana, though, was the real showstopper. She played an innings for the ages, smashing 117 runs off 91 balls in a dazzling display of skill and aggression. With 14 fours and four sixes, her strike rate of 128.57 told the story of a batter in complete control. She took on Australia’s bowlers with a mix of elegant drives, fierce pulls, and clever sweeps, ruling the powerplay and middle overs. After Rawal’s exit, Harleen Deol joined her, and they added 49 runs for the second wicket. Deol played cautiously, scoring 10 off 24 balls with one four, but a mix-up in the 18.5th over saw her run out by a sharp throw from Alana King to Alyssa Healy.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur walked in at number four, eager to keep the momentum going. She scored 17 off 26 balls, hitting two boundaries, but her innings was cut short in the 25.2nd over when she was caught by Annabel Sutherland off Gardner. At 152 for three, India were still in a strong position, largely thanks to Mandhana’s brilliance. Mandhana reached her century with a flourish, but her 132-minute masterclass ended in the 32.2nd over when she was caught by Gardner off Tahlia McGrath for 117. Her departure left India at 192 for four, but her knock had set the stage for a big total.
Deepti Sharma stepped up to anchor the middle order, playing a composed 40 off 53 balls with two fours. She stitched together key partnerships, first with Mandhana and then with Richa Ghosh, the wicketkeeper-batter who brought some fireworks. Ghosh smashed 29 off 33 balls, including three boundaries, pushing the scoring rate with her attacking approach. Their 47-run fifth-wicket stand took India to 239 before Ghosh was caught by Georgia Voll off Sutherland in the 41.2nd over.
The lower order faced some hiccups but kept the scoreboard ticking. Radha Yadav chipped in with a quick 6 off 6 balls, including a four, before falling lbw to Darcie Brown in the 42.3rd over. Arundhati Reddy scored 4 off 6 balls but was bowled by Brown in the 44.2nd over. Deepti’s gritty knock ended in the 46.1st over, caught by Sutherland off Brown, with India at 272 for eight. Sneh Rana then lit up the death overs, blasting 24 off 18 balls with three boundaries, giving India a late surge. She fell in the final over, the 49.5th, caught by Brown off Megan Schutt. Kranti Goud added 2 off 4 balls before being run out by McGrath and Healy in the 47.1st over, while Renuka Singh stayed not out with 3 off 6 balls.
India’s 292 included 15 extras (5 leg byes, 10 wides), with a healthy run rate of 5.85. The innings was built on key partnerships, the 70-run opening stand, the 49-run second-wicket partnership, and the 47-run fifth-wicket effort. Australia’s bowlers worked hard, with Darcie Brown leading the charge, taking 3 for 42 in 8 overs. Ashleigh Gardner was tidy, grabbing 2 for 39 in 10 overs, including a maiden. Annabel Sutherland (1 for 58 in 10 overs), Megan Schutt (1 for 46 in 7.5 overs), and Tahlia McGrath (1 for 20 in 4 overs) picked up wickets, but Georgia Wareham (0 for 41 in 4 overs), Alana King (0 for 26 in 4 overs), and Ellyse Perry (0 for 15 in 2 overs) couldn’t break through as effectively. Mandhana’s dominance tested them all, though they managed to pick up wickets at regular intervals to keep India under 300.
India made the most of the powerplay, scoring briskly, but Australia clawed back with spin and pace variations in the middle overs. The death overs saw Rana’s cameo push India to a competitive total, despite late wickets. The fall of wickets showed moments of stability punctuated by quick losses, but India’s batting depth shone through. The innings wrapped up in 49.5 overs, with Schutt bowling the final ball to dismiss Rana, leaving India with a total that gave their bowlers plenty to defend.
Chasing 293 under lights, Australia Women stumbled early and never found their footing, collapsing to 190 in 40.5 overs for a 102-run defeat. Openers Alyssa Healy and Georgia Voll faced India’s new-ball duo of Kranti Goud and Renuka Singh. Voll struggled, falling for a duck off 5 balls, bowled by Singh in the 1.6th over, leaving Australia at 8 for one. Healy, the skipper, scored 9 off 19 balls with one four but was caught by Arundhati Reddy off Goud in the 4.5th over, making it 12 for two.
Ellyse Perry tried to steady the ship, scoring a fighting 44 off 61 balls with five fours. She partnered with Beth Mooney for a 50-run third-wicket stand, taking Australia to 62 before Mooney fell for 18 off 34 balls (one four), caught by Reddy off Sneh Rana in the 16.6th over. Perry kept going, helping Australia reach 50 in the 14.2nd over. Annabel Sutherland joined her, playing a fiery 45 off 42 balls with four boundaries. Their 46-run fourth-wicket partnership pushed Australia to 108 before Perry was caught and bowled by Radha Yadav in the 24.3rd over.
Sutherland’s aggressive knock kept hopes alive, but she fell in the 29.3rd over, caught by Harmanpreet Kaur off Reddy, leaving Australia at 134 for five. Ashleigh Gardner scored 17 off 29 balls with one four, adding 17 runs for the sixth wicket with Tahlia McGrath, who made 16 off 20 balls with two fours. Gardner was caught by Yadav off Deepti Sharma in the 33.5th over, and McGrath followed in the 35.3rd over, caught by Reddy off Sharma, leaving Australia at 164 for seven.
The lower order crumbled quickly. Georgia Wareham scored 10 off 17 balls but was bowled by Goud in the 40.5th over, ending the innings. Alana King made 2 off 3 balls before being run out by Rana and Goud in the 36.3rd over. Megan Schutt fell for a duck off 2 balls, caught and bowled by Goud in the 36.6th over. Darcie Brown battled to 14 not out off 13 balls with two fours, but it wasn’t enough.
Australia’s 190 included 15 extras (2 byes, 13 wides), with a run rate of 4.65. India’s bowlers were relentless, led by Kranti Goud’s 3 for 28 in 9.5 overs, including a maiden. Deepti Sharma took 2 for 24 in 6 overs, while Renuka Singh (1 for 28 in 6.3 overs), Sneh Rana (1 for 35 in 6 overs), Arundhati Reddy (1 for 46 in 7.3 overs), and Radha Yadav (1 for 27 in 5 overs) kept the pressure on. The powerplay yielded just 25 for two, and Australia hit 100 in 22.6 overs but couldn’t keep up with the required rate.
India’s fielding was electric, with Reddy grabbing three catches. The fall of wickets showed a top-order collapse and a lower-order meltdown. A review in the 35.6th over for Wareham was upheld, but it didn’t change the outcome. Australia’s heaviest ODI loss, as noted, stemmed from their inability to build big partnerships or match the chase’s demands.
The match’s defining moment was Kranti Goud’s sensational bowling spell, which swung the game firmly in India’s favour. Opening the attack, Goud bowled 9.5 overs of pure class, conceding just 28 runs at an economy of 2.84, including a maiden, and taking three vital wickets.
Her early strike came in the 4.5th over, removing Alyssa Healy for 9, caught by Reddy, leaving Australia at 12 for two. With 42 dot balls and only two fours conceded, Goud’s tight lines and clever variations stifled Australia. She sealed the deal in the 40.5th over by bowling Wareham for 10 and earlier dismissed Schutt for a duck, caught and bowled. This spell was the heartbeat of India’s dominant win.
Smriti Mandhana was the undisputed star, earning TCNI’s Hero of the Day for her breathtaking 117 off 91 balls. With 14 fours and four sixes, her strike rate of 128.57 lit up the stadium. Her 132-minute knock anchored India’s 292, starting with a 70-run stand with Rawal.
Facing a varied attack, including Gardner (2 for 39) and Brown (3 for 42), Mandhana’s timing and aggression shone through. Her century, a blend of elegance and power, set up India’s victory, making her the driving force behind their commanding performance.