Australia have a nose slightly ahead of India after a pace dominated opening day of the pink ball Test at the WACA. A total of 13 wickets fell on Friday, 12 of which went to the fast bowlers, as Australia trailed by 102 runs with seven wickets in hand. After bowling India out for 198, the hosts reached 96 for three at the stumps.
Asked to bat first, India got off to a disastrous start as Smriti Mandhana departed cheaply. Test debutant Lucy Hamilton removed the opener in the first hour to put India under pressure. Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma then began to build a partnership before Annabel Sutherland dismissed both batsmen in quick succession.
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Australia vs India Women’s Test Day 1 | Highlights | Scorecard
Pratika, also making her Test debut, scored 18 off 43 balls before edging one to slip off Sutherland, while Shafali made 35 before being dismissed. After that, Jemimah Rodrigues held the fort with a gutsy half-century that kept India moving forward. She scored 52 off 84 balls with seven fours before Hamilton accounted for her wicket.
Hamilton also removed Sneha Rana to finish with impressive figures of 11-3-31-3. On a pitch that offered plenty of movement in the seams for the pacers, Sutherland also thrived and returned with figures of 17-5-46-4 to become man of the day. Harmanpreet Kaur got off to an aggressive start with four boundaries before Darcie Brown reduced her knock to 19 off 15.
Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana and Richa Ghosh failed to make a significant impact with the bat. However, Kashvee Gautam came into play with 34 off 54 balls, helping India take their total to the 200-run mark.
THE SAYALS KEEP AUSTRALIA IN TRACK
India got off to a great start with their Test debutant pair of Kranti Goud and Sayali Satghare striking early. Satghare struck early and cleaned up Georgia Vollova with a delivery that shaped and slipped through the gap between bat and pad. Soon after, Kranti dismissed Phoebe Litchfield cheaply, although much of the credit for the goal went to Jemimah Rodrigues.
Jemimah, who was placed at the back point, showed great reflexes and completed an amazing diving catch. Alyssa Healy also suffered disappointment in her farewell Test, managing just 13 before Satghare struck again. Trying to get her hands free on a wide delivery, Healy pulled up to Jemimah inside the circle, although she still received a standing ovation from the Perth crowd as she headed back.
With Australia slightly under pressure at 58 for three, Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland steadied the innings to ensure the hosts reached stumps without further damage. Perry, who returned after recovering from a quad injury, remained unbeaten on 43 off 62 balls, hitting seven fours in a composed strike.
Sutherland provided solid support with 20 not out. Apart from Kranti and Satghare, India also used Kashvee Gautam in the pace attack, though they conceded 29 runs in their seven overs. Sneh Rana delivered the only over of the Indian spinner on the day.
A brief score
India women: 198 all out in 62.4 overs. Jemimah Rodrigues (52), Shafali Verma (35); Annabel Sutherland (4/46), Lucy Hamilton (3/31)
Australia women: 96/3 in 27 overs. Ellyse Perry (43*), Annabel Sutherland (20*); Sayali Satghare (2/24)
Match status: Australia’s route by 102 runs on stumps on Day 1
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
06 Mar 2026 19:16 IST
