Healy brilliance helps Australia women to beat India in a thriller in womens world cup

 

In the battle between No. 1 and No. 3, it was the latter who fell short. Despite a spirited fight and a record-breaking total, India’s Women in Blue could not secure victory. After posting their highest-ever score in a World Cup match (330), India succumbed to a three-wicket defeat as Australia’s women chased down the target in style. Alyssa Healy turned the game single-handedly with a captain’s knock of pure brilliance — 142 off 107 balls. With the ball, Annabel Sutherland was instrumental in setting up the win, taking 5 wickets for 40 runs. Smriti Mandhana’s 80 and Pratika Rawal’s 75 ultimately went in vain, as did Mandhana’s personal milestones. Bengal’s Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues got good starts but couldn’t convert them, costing India dearly.

In Visakhapatnam, Australia’s captain Alyssa Healy won the toss and chose to field first. India went in with an unchanged XI. Openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana started cautiously, scoring around four runs per over. Then, in the eighth over, India shifted gears — smashing 16 runs off Sophie Molineux’s over — and the onslaught began. The pair launched a stunning assault, building a 155-run opening stand before Molineux finally broke through.

Mandhana played a blistering 66-ball 80, studded with nine fours and three sixes. Her innings made history — she became the first woman cricketer to score over 1,000 ODI runs in a single calendar year. The 29-year-old also crossed 5,000 career ODI runs, the fastest in women’s cricket history. Across men’s and women’s ODIs, only Pakistan’s Babar Azam and South Africa’s Hashim Amla reached the milestone quicker. Mandhana’s 5,022 runs have come in 112 innings, surpassing Virat Kohli’s Indian record of reaching 5,000 in 114 innings. She is now both the fastest and youngest woman to achieve this landmark.

India’s score was 192 when the second wicket fell — Pratika Rawal was dismissed for 75 (96 balls) by Sutherland. Harleen Deol marked her 1,000th career run but fell after a brisk 38 off 22 balls. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur once again failed to convert her start, scoring 22 off 17. India were well-placed at 240/4 when Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues launched a late assault.

Richa scored a fiery 32 off 22 deliveries, hitting three fours and two sixes, adding 54 runs with Jemimah before falling to a slower ball on 294. Jemimah soon followed for 33, and India’s lower order collapsed like a pack of cards. Bowled out for 330 with seven balls remaining, India still seemed in a commanding position.

But Australia’s batters had other ideas. Openers Healy and Phoebe Litchfield gave their side a blazing start with an 85-run stand. Healy looked in breathtaking form and was unleashing dazzling strokes to put pressure on India . Although India briefly slowed the scoring in the middle overs, steady contributions from several Australian batters — Perry (47), Gardner (45), and Litchfield (40) — kept the chase alive though Mooney , Sutherland & McGrath failed  . Healy remained the backbone, anchoring the innings with timely boundaries until Perry , returning from cramp break and Kim Garth calmly guided Australia home in the 49th over.

The seven-time world champions once again showed why they are the benchmark in women’s cricket — clinical, composed, and relentless under pressure.