In a groundbreaking milestone, the Indian women's cricket team achieved their first-ever Test win against Australia on Sunday, December 24. On the final day of the one-off Test at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, Sneh Rana secured two crucial wickets, to wrap up Australia's innings for 261. Chasing a lowly 75-run target, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues steered India to a historic eight-wicket victory over Australia.
In celebration of this momentous win, the Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Rajasthan Royals, lauded Harmanpreet Kaur and her team on social media in an interesting way. They shared a photo of Team India's historic win, accompanied by the caption, "Toota hai Australia ka ghamand (Australia's pride is broken)".
On the decisive day, India showcased exceptional skill in both bowling and batting, successfully countering a determined comeback from Australia. They swiftly took the last five Australian wickets for just 28 runs and then effortlessly met a modest target of 75, securing an impressive eight-wicket victory.
Smriti Mandhana, unbeaten at 38, and Jemimah Rodrigues, also not out at 12, shared a heartfelt hug upon achieving their goal of defeating the globally dominant Australian team. This moment echoed the subdued celebration of India in 2008 in Australia, where MS Dhoni's team refrained from overt jubilation after their win.
This was the first time since 1995 that the Indian Women's team played more than one home Test, and they hardly made any missteps throughout.
The India Women's team lived up to their commitment to playing 'positive cricket.' They navigated through all challenges and largely controlled the game against their highly-regarded Australian and English opponents.
Indeed, Team India demonstrated remarkable consistency in their performances across two home Tests, played on varying pitches at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium against England. This was especially notable considering it was their first series of home Tests in nearly ten years.
India achieved a record-breaking victory over England by a substantial margin in terms of runs. Additionally, their first win over Australia in 11 attempts has positively shifted their win-loss record. Out of 41 Tests played, India now boasts seven victories and six losses, with 27 matches ending in draws.
The dominant performance by India calls for the attention of cricket administrators to consider scheduling more home Tests in the future, as such matches have been sporadic.
The victory against England highlighted the rise of new Test talents like Jemimah Rodrigues, Shubha Satheesh, and Renuka Singh Thakur. Similarly, the match against Australia marked the impressive debut of 20-year-old Richa Ghosh, who scored 52 in her first innings. On the fourth day, Indian spinners took center stage. Sneh Rana (5-2-9-2), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (1.4-1-0-2), and Deepti Sharma (3-2-5-0) combined forces to dismantle the Australian batting line-up.
Australia, aiming to extend their modest lead of 46 runs, suffered a dramatic collapse, losing five wickets within the first 45 minutes of play, ultimately conceding the match to India.
Pooja Vastrakar initiated the downfall, dismissing Ashleigh Gardner for seven with a leg-before-wicket. Sneh Rana then tipped the scales in India's favor with two crucial wickets, removing Annabel Sutherland (27) and Alana King (0).
Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who had narrowly missed claiming wickets on the third day, finally secured her first wicket of the innings by bowling out Kim Garth (4).
Gayakwad continued her impressive spell by deceiving Jess Jonassen (9) with a sharply turning delivery that struck the middle and leg stumps, leaving the last recognized Australian batter off-balance on her front foot. Australia was dismissed for 261 in their second innings, after scoring 219 in their first following their decision to bat first.
India excelled with the bat, posting 406 in their first innings, marking their highest Test total ever against Australia.
Shafali Verma started the innings strikingly with a four off the first ball, but Kim Garth soon claimed her wicket, caught by captain Alyssa Healy, offering the first breakthrough.
Beth Mooney missed an easy catch off Gardner, giving Richa Ghosh (13) a chance when she hadn't scored yet. Ghosh then partnered with Mandhana (38 not out off 61 balls, 6 fours) to add 51 runs for the second wicket after Verma (4) was dismissed in the first over. Rodrigues and Mandhana eventually finished the job.
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