We have been spoiled by consecutive final over finishes. The first went Australia’s way, narrowly, the second to India in a display of great resilience.
An Indian victory looked very unlikely at the halfway mark after Australia racked up 264/9 on the back of one of the more appalling fielding displays you could ever witness. Gardner and Mooney both passed 50, while McGrath cracked a rapid 47 at the death. India seemed dispirited and fractious. Victory seemed a long way off.
But their reply began strongly. Verma and Mandhana put on 59 for the opening wicket before Verma was joined in a partnership of 101 with Bhatia. At this stage India were cruising, but some superb catching in the field, and diligent seam bowling from Sutherland and Campbell, brought the game to a thrilling conclusion.
First Sharma, then Rana, looked to have taken control for India, but both fell at the death to leave a tantalising final over that Goswami interrupted abruptly with a mighty straight blow.
As well as the disappointment of seeing their long unbeaten run come to an end Australia will also be sweating on the fitness of Haynes and Mooney, who both left the field with injuries during the second innings, as well as Molineux, who required her face bandaging after being struck on the mouth fielding a throw at the non-striker’s end. On top of that, Perry still looks short of form and fitness on her return to the international scene.
Thank you for joining us today. We’ll be back to cover the entirety of the day-night Test from the Gold Coast between these sides, starting Thursday. See you then.
Australia’s record ODI winning streak ends at 26. And it comes at the end of a superb Indian run chase. What drama this series has delivered, and now we have a Test to look forward to beginning on Thursday.
49.3 over: India 266-8 (Goswami 8, Singh 2) Goswami stands tall at the crease and lofts a majestic straight drive that bounces just inside the rope near the sightscreen. Incredible finish.
WICKET! Rana c sub (Darlington) b Carey 30 (India 259-8)
Short delivery, whipped to the on-side, but it comes off a thick top edge and Hannah Darlington runs in from the fine-leg boundary to take a low diving catch. Clutch fielding again from Australia! Desperate for Rana who has guided her side to the brink of victory, but she won’t be around to finish the job.
48.1 over: India 258-7 (Rana 30, Goswami 2) Back to Nicola Carey. Sneh Rana on strike. Full toss on middle whipped behind square for a single. Australia got away with one there.
48th over: India 257-7 (Rana 29, Goswami 2) Goswami again gets herself off strike early, allowing Rana to take control of India’s destiny. Molineux keeps her honest for a couple of deliveries though, before Goswami scampers through for a quick single. Molineux, bandages and all, closes the over out well. Just two from the over.
47th over: India 255-7 (Rana 28, Goswami 1) Brilliant from Rana. After Jhulan Goswami gets to the non-striker’s end, Sneh Rana moves well outside off and flips a beautiful four over short fine-leg. It’s a shot that brings the required run-rate below a run-a-ball. And that rate looks very manageable a delivery later when she steps to leg and ramps McGrath over the cordon and down to the third fence. Three in a row! This time she stands her ground and drives straight over mid-on. Superb proactive batting. An over that has changed the complexion of this match. Incredible clutch batting from Rana.
Four overs left and Tahlia McGrath is thrown the ball for the first time since the tenth over. She begins with a ripper that beats the outside edge, then she gets the massive wicket of Deepti Sharma! It’s a fierce square drive, but it’s straight to Carey at point, and this time she holds on.
46th over: India 241-6 (Sharma 30, Rana 17) Rana squeezes a square drive between point and gully to keep India up with the run-rate. Lots of forceful batting and hard running keeps the scoreboard ticking over, but the over ends with Carey finding a leading edge and pouching a simple return catch. BUT IT’S OVERTURNED FOR OVERSTEPPING by the third umpire and Rana not only survives but earns a single from a free-hit.
45th over: India 232-6 (Sharma 28, Rana 11) Sophie Molineux, bandaged like a Scooby Do Mummy, returns for some vital death overs. She begins with a long hop that Sharma spanks through midwicket that is four as soon as it leaves the bat - but Perry is having none of it, flying full-length on the boundary to save a couple. A single rotates the strike then Rana is dropped! That was a c&b opportunity driven straight back at Molineux who can only parry the chance in front of her bandaged face. THEN ANOTHER DROP! Carey this time shells a swipe from Rana that’s straight at her - but the sun played havoc with her vision and the ball goes to ground.
44th over: India 227-6 (Sharma 24, Rana 10) Good over for India. Carey’s on the mark but Sharma is working the ball comfortably around the ground and Rana profits from a thick outside edge that flies down to third for a boundary.
India keep chancing their arm between the wickets - and getting away with it, but it’s risky running that you sense will inevitably bring about someone’s downfall.
43rd over: India 219-6 (Sharma 21, Rana 5) Gardner replaces chief destroyer Sutherland and India hit their required rate of six. It’s all a bit skittish though out in the middle with India desperate for quick singles without the clearest calling. Sharma looks like she now has her eye in, and the outcome may well rest on her shoulders.
42nd over: India 213-6 (Sharma 17, Rana 3) Carey is back into the attack and she is right on the money, pinning both Indians to the crease and conceding only three singles.
41st over: India 210-6 (Sharma 15, Rana 2) Sutherland welcomes Sneh Rana to the crease with a short ball that’s too fast for the In dian No 8 and flies off the top edge for two. She follows that up with a testing yorker that is dug out.
Molineux is back on the field, with some serious bandaging around her mouth.
Sharma is taking control of this run chase. After a brace of boundaries in the previous over she takes on Sutherland first ball and clubs a four through long-on.
Sutherland exacts her revenge, and then some! After the strike is rotated Raj takes an ugly swipe at the wrong ball and a quick length delivery clips the top of middle. Sutherland has three, India have a mountain to climb.
40th over: India 203-5 (Raj 16, Sharma 10) A rare Indian boundary with Sharma picking up Campbell’s length early and slapping her through midwicket. And another! A carbon copy two balls later and India are fighting back. 62 off 60 required.
Lanning now has the headache of replacing Molineux’s death overs. Molineux now has a headache.
39th over: India 194-5 (Raj 16, Sharma 1) The arrival of Deepti Sharma means a left-right combination again, which leads immediately to a legside wide. Extras up to 32. Sutherland completes her sixth over with figures of 23/2.
But the action is once again shaded by an Australian injury! This time it’s Sophie Molineux in the wars after a throw from the boundary to the non-striker’s end reared up and burst through the spinner’s hands and into her face. She has left the field wounded and probably in need of a stitch or two to her mouth. This has not been ideal Test preparation with Mooney and Haynes already going down.
There’s that pressure telling. Sutherland begins her sixth over with a full straight delivery that Vastrakar awkwardly tries to force to leg. No timing, head up, stumps clattered. India are painting themselves into a corner.
38th over: India 192-4 (Raj 16, Vastrakar 3) Gifts done come much giftier and gift-wrapped than a leg-stump full-toss with the field up, but that’s what Campbell delivers to Raj, releasing the pressure that was starting to look irresistible. It’s still only par for India, who are struggling to rotate the strike.
37th over: India 186-4 (Raj 10, Vastrakar 3) Sutherland keeps the pressure on, and the required run-rate has now crept over a run-a-ball for the first time.
36th over: India 183-4 (Raj 8, Vastrakar 2) Another good Campbell over goes for just two singles. India are in quicksand and storing up problems for the death overs.
34th over: India 180-4 (Raj 7, Vastrakar 0) A well-earned debut ODI wicket for Stella Campbell, and she has Molly Strano to thank for it. It seems pretty clear that if Australia go on to win this match it will be the disparity in fielding as much as anything that will be the determining factor.
WICKET! Bhatia c sub (Strano) b Campbell 64 (India 180-4)
After 12 deliveries of nothing much Raj decides to go over mid-on, and she only just clears Sutherland’s leap. It does bring her four though, and gets her vital innings into motion. Bhatia shows her skipper how it’s done, swivelling with superb timing to pull Campbell for a crisp boundary.
But she’s gone next ball! That feels like a decisive moment in this contest. Bhatia was flying, but she tried to go big again on the on-side, but on this occasion can only get a thick edge that flies down to fine-leg where Molly Strano runs in, dives forward, and pouches a superb momentum-changing catch. Great bowling too, Campbell shifting from over to around the wicket but landing the ball in near identical places, provoking the error.
33rd over: India 171-3 (Bhatia 60, Raj 2) Bhatia is on strike for the start of Sutherland’s over, and she shows great creativity with a flick over her shoulder for two. A single brings Raj to the crease, and with that the field comes in to crowd out any run-scoring opportunities, and more dot-balls are eaten up before a single from the last ball. Raj is two from 11.
32nd over: India 166-3 (Bhatia 57, Raj 1) Lanning going for the throat with the recall of Campbell’s pace to the attack. The debutant begins with five dots to Raj, a famously slow starter, but even so, in this match situation it’s inviting pressure - especially when rotating the strike would allow the in-form Bhatia to control the pace of the game.
31st over: India 166-3 (Bhatia 57, Raj 1) A lot of pressure now on the shoulders of Mithali Raj, who has dropped herself down to No 5. A misfield allows her to get off the mark, and that brings Bhatia on strike, who steps to off and whips a back 0f a length delivery from Sutherland over square leg and away for four, beating Perry’s dive on the rope.
WICKET! Ghosh c Gardner b Sutherland 0 (India 161-3)
One brings two for Australia! Sutherland pitches the ball up and Ghosh leisurely flicks the ball straight Garnder’s safe hands at square-leg. Game on again in Mackay.
Huge wicket for Australia! Verma, who may have been tiring, aims a huge mow at a length Molineux delivery, plays all around it, and finds her off stump nudged backwards. Superb innings from India’s opener that has set her side up beautifully.
GONE! It's Sophie Molineux who goes straight through Shafali Verma for Australia's much needed breakthrough! #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/gAPrFe833J
29th over: India 159-1 (Verma 56, Bhatia 51) Annabel Sutherland is into the attack belatedly for Australia, but the runs keep flowing for India, four of them from a delicate Verma glance for four to fine-leg.
More bad news for Australia. Their list of absentees now includes Beth Mooney. The Test XI could soon involve a late ring-around.
Second update: Beth Mooney is experiencing some hamstring awareness and is off the field.
28th over: India 153-1 (Verma 51, Bhatia 50) No pressure at all from the field on Verma on 49 so the Indian opener casually dabs a single to bring up her half-century. It’s a similar story for Bhatia who milks Molineux to reach her milestone. Two superb knocks that have put India firmly in control.
27th over: India 150-1 (Verma 49, Bhatia 49) Lanning knows she needs to make something happen, so she recalls McGrath. Bhatia responds superbly with a muscular thwack to the midwicket boundary. The bowler then leaks through the legside, and with Healy up to the stumps it’s the latest five-wide effort of a messy afternoon for Australia’s attack. 30 extras already, in just 27 overs!
26th over: India 139-1 (Verma 48, Bhatia 44) Bhatia gets away with one, trying to hit Molineux with the spin over cow corner, but she doesn’t get all of it and the ball grazes Darlington’s fingertips at wide mid-on, but the catch doesn’t stick and India enjoy an eight-run over.
25th over: India 131-1 (Verma 48, Bhatia 37) Verma is looking to assert herself now that her eye is in, but it’s leading to a couple of rash strokes. After surviving a drop off Molineux she is almost bowled around her legs by Carey. Bhatia is demonstrating more control, typified by a beautiful back cut for four. At the halfway mark of the run chase India are cruising.
24th over: India 123-1 (Verma 46, Bhatia 32) The scoreboard continues to tick over, helped along by a finely-swept four from Shafali Verma as she approaches 50. But the Indian opener almost doesn’t make it to her milestone, swiping Molineux across the line and offering a tough catch to the diving Sutherland at midwicket, but she can’t hold on and Verma survives.
