Australia Pacers Dominate as India Women Struggle on Day 1 of Pink-Ball Test

 

India Women endured a challenging opening day in their first-ever day-night Test, played at the lively Perth surface, as Australia’s disciplined pace attack left the visitors under pressure. With the conditions favouring the bowlers, wickets tumbled throughout the day. While India’s batters largely faltered, the bowlers fought back bravely to keep the contest alive.

A total of 13 wickets fell on the opening day, including 10 from India, highlighting the demanding nature of the pitch.

Batting first after Australia captain Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field, India were bundled out for 198 in their first innings.

The innings began poorly for India as Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for just 4 runs bowled by debutant Luis Hamilton. The opening pair of Shafali Verma and Pratika Rawal tried to stabilise the innings but failed to convert their starts into substantial contributions.

Shafali looked promising, played some glorious  drives but fell for 35, attempting to accelerate against Annabel Sutherland, who also dismissed an uncomfortable Pratika Rawal for 18 caught in slips . 

Amid the early setbacks, Jemimah Rodrigues stood out with a composed and elegant innings. After struggling in the white-ball series, she looked far more assured with the red ball, displaying patience and smart shot selection.

Rodrigues stitched together a promising partnership with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, but the skipper’s aggressive approach proved costly. Harmanpreet departed after a brisk 19 off 15 balls, halting India’s momentum. She was bowled by a fine inswinger from Darcy Brown .

India’s experienced middle order also failed to deliver, with Deepti Sharma (7) and Richa Ghosh (11) unable to make significant contributions.

Rodrigues reached a gritty half-century, but with wickets falling regularly at the other end, her concentration eventually broke. She was dismissed for 52 by Lucy Hamilton with a mistimed flick .

Lower down the order, Kashvee Gautam produced a valuable fighting knock, remaining unbeaten on 34 to push India close to the 200 mark. Without her effort, India might have struggled to even cross 150.

For Australia, Sutherland led the bowling attack with four wickets, while debutant Hamilton chipped in with three.

Australia’s reply also began on a shaky note as India’s pace bowlers struck early.

Young quick Sayali Satghare bowled with impressive control and removed Georgia Voll for just 2 with an unplayable inswinger that hit the seam & rattled the leg stump as Voll played defensively . Soon after, Kranti Goud dismissed Phoebe Litchfield for 9 brilliantly caught by Jemima Rodrigues at point , leaving the hosts under pressure.

In what is her farewell Test match, captain Healy also failed to make a big impact, scoring 13 before falling to Satghare caught by Rodrigues at gully .

However, after losing three quick wickets, Australia regained control. The experienced Ellyse Perry joined forces with Sutherland, and the pair steadied the innings with a composed partnership. Both Perry and Sutherland played some sparkling shots . 

By stumps on Day 1, Australia had reached 96 for 3, still 102 runs behind India’s first-innings total. Perry remained unbeaten on 43, while Sutherland was 20 not out, setting up an intriguing contest heading into Day 2.

Day 2 Holds the Key

Despite the batting collapse, India’s bowlers have ensured the match remains finely balanced. The visitors will hope for early breakthroughs on the second morning to regain control and put Australia under pressure in this historic pink-ball encounter.