'Tough' cricket on show

Australia’s Tahlia McGrath plays a lofted shot against India at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Pic/Getty Images

After reading the pitch studiously for eight hours and eight minutes of the Indian innings, the Australian batters put up a better show in their second innings.

On Day Three on Saturday, Australia faced an improbable task. Trailing the first innings by 187 runs (the most any team have inflicted on the Aussies), the visitors were better with their feet movement to take the one-off Test into the fourth and final day with 46 runs in front.

Ellyse Perry

After India made 406 in their first innings in reply to Australia's first innings 219, the visitors were 233-5 in their second dig at the close. While no team except England (in 1984 against Australia) going on to win after a 100-plus first innings deficit, Australia have to do something extraordinary here.

Oz's attacking approach

The third-wicket pair of the experienced Ellyse Perry (45) and vice-captain Tahlia McGrath (73) showed gumption on a wearing pitch to stitch a strong partnership, 84 in an hour and three quarters. They danced down the pitch to negate the spin initially and also managed to take the spinners on the full to pick boundaries through the gaps, especially on the off-side.

McGrath's solid defence

However, Perry on the rare occasion of playing on the back foot, perished to a nick down the leg side off Sneh Rana, the off-spinner. Until then, there was assuredness when she was at the crease. Perry tapped McGrath on the shoulder on her way back to the dressing room with a "just keep going" message to her.

Shouldering responsibility, the Australian vice-captain McGrath was solid in her defence. She reached her second fifty of the match, becoming the first visiting player to score two half-centuries in the same Test in India. She quickly learnt from her first innings and was careful with her shot-making. However, she was consumed by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur in her first over of the match, nicking a forward defence onto her stumps, ending her three-and-a-half hour resistance and the crucial 66-run stand with Healy (32) for the fourth wicket.

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Perry told reporters: "Tahlia is having a pretty great Test match. She obviously batted really well in the first innings as well. Her approach is always attacking. She is a great strokemaker. Amongst some of the great drives, she was solid in defence. All-round, she is a fabulous player. She has been solid throughout."
Earlier, India extended their overnight 157-run lead to 187 after lasting 36 minutes in the morning. Medium-pacers Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland wiped out the tail, peppering them with short balls, but not before the overnight pair Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar raised the second highest partnership for the eighth wicket by any team against any opposition in all women's Tests - 122.

India's highest score v Aus

Within 13 minutes of seeing Vastrakar (47) pull Sutherland to square leg Garth's hands, the left-handed Deepti attempted to work Garth on the on-side, only to miss the line and be bowled for 78. India's total is their highest-ever against Australia, going past 377-8 declared in 2021.

Brief scores
Australia 219 and 233-5 (T McGrath 73, E Perry 45; H Kaur 2-23, S Rana 2-54) v India 406 (Deepti Sharma 78, Smriti Mandhana 74, J Rodrigues 73, R Ghosh 52; A Gardner 4-100)