Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s (2/23) came to India’s rescue with two late wickets as the hosts endured a challenging period in the one-off Women’s Test here on Saturday. At close on the third day, Australia led by 46 runs.
Harmanpreet brought herself on in the third session as a resolute Australian side overhauled the hosts’ 187-run lead in the first innings with consummate ease.
Harmanpreet cleaned up Tahlia McGrath (73), who hit a second consecutive fifty
in the Test, and trapped the dangerous Alyssa Healy (32) leg before.
Before dismissing her counterpart, the India captain fired a sharp return throw at Healy, who took evasive action and the ball raced to the ropes as it deflected off the Australian skipper’s bat.
She appealed against Healy for obstructing the field, but it was turned down by the on-field umpires.
Earlier, the Australia seamers unleashed a short-ball attack on the Indian tail, which folded in a little over half an hour into the day’s play with 30 runs added for the loss of the last three wickets.
Brief scores: Australia Women 219 & 233/5 (Tahila McGrath 73, Ellyse Perry 45). India Women 406.
