After producing a gem of a delivery to dismiss Ellyse Perry, Indian spearhead Pooja Vastrakar has given India a lead at the stroke of lunch. On the last ball of the first session, Vastrakar bounced Australian opener Beth Mooney to restrict the hosts to 103-4.
Coming from over the wicket, the right-arm pacer bowled a vicious bouncer at Mooney’s head. The ball thudded the opener’s glove and lobbed towards the first slip, where Sneh Rana gobbled an easy catch.
India & Pooja Vastrakar dominate Australia in the 1st session
The India women’s cricket team got off to a great start. After running Phoebe Litchfield in the first over of the match, Pooja Vastrakar cleaned up one of the best all-rounders in the world in her very first over.
The pacer bowled an in-seamer to Ellyse Perry to peg her middle stump back. However, Pooja wasn’t done yet. She came steaming in the last over of the session on Day 1 of the IND-W vs AUS-W Test and took Beth Mooney out with a seething bouncer.
One debutant makes way for another: Richa Ghost in for Shubha Satheesh
Although Richa Ghosh is making her debut, another debutant has found herself under the axe. Despite scoring a sumptuous fifty on her debut, Shubha Satheesh has been dropped by the India women’s cricket team.
What makes his drop surprising is that Yastika Bhatia, who is a keeper by trade, is still in the playing XI for the IND-W vs AUS-W Test, while Richa Ghosh, another wicketkeeper, has found herself in the mix.
A reason for dropping Shubha could be the fact that she’s a lefty. India already has southpaw batters in Smriti Madhana, Yastika Bhatia, and Deepti Sharma. By adding Richa Ghosh to the mix, the India cricket team has ensured that a right-left combination is maintained to not let the Australian bowlers settle.
IND-W vs AUS-W: Playing XI
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia(w), Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Thakur Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Australia Women: Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Alyssa Healy (wk & c), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Kim Garth, Lauren Cheatle
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