Blown away by Australia!

Australia players celebrate their victory over India in the third ODI at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic/PTI

Nothing could stop Australia from registering their fourth ODI series whitewash in India. Opener Phoebe Litchfield went from strength to strength, improving upon her two fifties in the first two ODIs to notch up her highest score (119) to power Australia to their highest total against India.

Choosing to bat, the visitors posted 338-7. The hosts folded up for 148, suffering their third heaviest defeat in terms of runs (190) on Tuesday.

Going by the start Litchfield and captain Alyssa Healy provided - 189 - an Australia victory was always on the cards. This was the highest stand for any wicket by any pair against India, let alone Australia's highest opening partnership against India. Healy scored her first ODI fifty after eight innings - 82 before chopping Pooja Vastrakar on to the stumps from around her legs after missing a pull.

It was an entertaining opening stand in which the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur used all her bowling options including Punjab left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap, who had a forgettable debut (0-30 in three overs).

Also Read: 'Cape' of hope!

Poor catching continues

India's poor catching continued, though not to the extent of seven drops in the previous game. Deepti Sharma at backward point dived to her left, but could not hold on to a Litchfield cut off medium-pacer Amanjot Kaur. By then, Litchfield had powered her way to 61, employing her favourite reverse sweep at will.

Smriti Mandhana dropped a straight forward chance given by Elysse Perry at the wide long-on boundary off Deepti, though the miss did not prove costly as the Australian star fell for 16.

Australia lost four wickets in the space of 6.4 overs including two in a row to Patil with Litchfield watching helplessly at the other end, having entered the 90s in Healy's company and managing to reach her century with No. 6 Ashleigh Garner for support. Alana King's lower-order blitz again - 26 not out (14b, 1x4, 3x6) - and her 39 for the unbroken eighth wicket with Georgia Wareham in 3.2 overs including 19 off the 50th over by Vastrakar put Australia in command.

Deepti becoming the fourth Indian woman to reach 100 ODI wickets when she dismissed Litchfield was lost in the mayhem of Australia plundering runs.

Hosts lose early wickets

India have never chased successfully anything more than 266 (v Australia in Mackay in 2021). It needed a mammoth effort from the batters. However, Yastika Bhatia, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur falling within 12 overs made matters worse. Harmanpreet's dismal form in recent times extended to six single digit scores in the last six outings at Wankhede - 9 and 6' in T20Is v England, 0 in Test v Australia, 9, 5 and 3 in the three ODIs v Australia. A brilliant anticipation by Beth Mooney, running from first slip to hold on to the scoop at leg slip cut short Kaur's stay.

Australia completed the rout with some outstanding catching including Litchfield pulling off a blinder at cover to dismiss Amanjot and Tahlia McGrath timing her jump at mid-off to remove Patil.

Brief scores
Australia 338-7 in 50 overs (P Litchfield 119, A Healy 82; S Patil 3-57, A Kaur 2-70) beat India 148 all out in 32.4 overs (S Mandhana 29; G Wareham 3-23, A Sutherland 2-9, A King 2-21, M Schutt 2-23) by 190 runs