Off-spinner Deepti Sharma stymied Australia’s surge with a stellar five-wicket haul but seven dropped catches by India allowed them to post a challenging 258 for eight in the second Women's ODI here on Saturday.
Deepti exploited a dry and turning surface to a fine degree to return with figures off five for 38, but her hard work was undone by the hosts' horrendous fielding.
She accounted for Ellyse Perry (50), Beth Mooney (10), Tahlia McGrath (24), Georgia Wareham (22) and Annabel Sutherland (23) for her career’s second five-for.
Alana King, who was dropped once each by Deepti and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, hammered three sixes to make an unbeaten 28 (17 balls) in a late surge to take Australia past the 250-run mark, which at one stage looked beyond the visitors.
Australia looked in complete command until the 22nd over, powering to 117 for one through a 77-run stand for the second wicket between Perry and Phoebe Litchfield (63, 98 balls, 6x4s).
But fortune swung in India’s favour when Deepti was introduced, and the senior spinner made an immediate impact.
Perry (50, 47 balls, 4x4s, 1x6s) raced to her second fifty in a row and posed India a serious threat during a strong partnership with Litchfield, but Deepti got rid of the former to start her demolition job.
In an attempt to pull a short delivery from Deepti over midwicket, Perry could not clear debutant Shreyanka Patil who completed the catch on her second attempt.
Deepti troubled Mooney consistently, using the roughness of the pitch to full effect by generating sharp away turn.
To counter the turn, Mooney swept from outside the line of the ball but was beaten by a straight one, getting trapped leg-before.
Deepti later cleaned up the dangerous McGrath in the 40th over for her third wicket, and then added Wareham on the first ball of the 46th over. She took a return catch off to get rid of Sutherland to complete the five-wicket haul.
In between, Sneh Rana, who had to leave the field following a nasty collision with Pooja Vastrakar, had Ashleigh Gardner (2) caught at long on for her only wicket.
But Deepti’s exploits notwithstanding, India were simply poor in the field. Litchfield was dropped when she was yet to open her account by Amanjot Kaur in the second over and then on 10 by Yastika Bhatia at first slip.
Rana dropped Perry in the 17th over when she was on 30 on her own bowling.
Smriti Mandhana spilled a regulation chance in the 44th over when Sutherland was on one off Deepti.
India also made an error of judgment when they did not take a DRS call against Alyssa Healy who was pinned in front of the wickets by Vastrakar.
Vastrakar eventually sent back Healy when she cleaned up the Australian captain for 13 in the 10th over.
Scoreboard
Australia Women Innings: Phoebe Litchfield c Richa Ghosh b Shreyanka Patil 63 Alyssa Healy b Pooja Vastrakar 13 Ellyse Perry c Shreyanka Patil b Deepti Sharma 50 Beth Mooney lbw b Deepti Sharma 10 Tahlia McGrath b Deepti Sharma 24 Ashleigh Gardner c Amanjot Kaur b Sneh Rana 2 Annabel Sutherland c and b Deepti Sharma 23 Georgia Wareham c Smriti Mandhana b Deepti Sharma 22 Alana King not out 28 Kim Garth not out 11 Extras: (lb-2, w-10) 12 Total: 258/8 in 50 overs Fall of wickets: 40-1, 117-2, 133-3, 160-4, 170-5, 180-6, 216-7, 219-8 Bowling: Renuka Thakur Singh 7-0-36-0, Pooja Vastrakar 10-0-59-1, Amanjot Kaur 3-0-21-0, Shreyanka Patil 10-0-43-1, Sneh Rana 10-0-59-1, Deepti Sharma 10-0-38-5.
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