Mooney shakes off sickness in match-winning knock

Beth Mooney has brushed off illness to produce a batting masterclass, guiding Australia to their highest ever T20I chase and a dominant nine-wicket win over India in the series opener at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.

Mooney did not train between Australia’s arrival last Sunday and the eve of Friday’s match but the left-hander turned it on with an unbeaten 89 off 57 deliveries as Australia chased down their target of 173 with 11 balls to spare.

KAYO MINI: India v Australia, Game 1

She was aided by skipper Alyssa Healy (37 off 23) and new first drop Tahlia McGrath (40no off 29), as the new-look Australia side started a fresh era with a serious statement.

Image Id: C173E17E5B3B4AB7A3C416279C03C5AD Image Caption: Beth Mooney and captain Alyssa Healy in the middle at DY Patil Stadium // Getty

Mooney’s heroics came after explosive knocks from Deepti Sharma (36no off 15) and Richa Ghosh (36 off 20) carried India to 5-172, their highest first-innings score against Australia.

Recalled pair Ellyse Perry (2-10) and Annabel Sutherland (1-21) led the way with the ball for Australia, while Kim Garth (1-27) became the 58th woman to play a T20I for Australia and the first woman to play for Australia having previously played for another country.

Mooney was handed a life on four and made India pay, as she and Healy put on 73 for the first wicket.

Healy cleared the boundary twice in the space of two overs before her dismissal in the ninth over, chipping a simple catch to Harmanpreet Kaur at short extra cover, brought about the first test of Australia’s new-look batting order. 

Image Id: 20163E4C81564C14975B3DFDCFAF15F6 Image Caption: Alyssa Healy reacts after being dismissed for 37 // Getty

With no Meg Lanning to stride to the middle at No.3, it was McGrath who arrived in her place and immediately looked at home.

Australia were 1-81 at the midway mark still needing another 92, but India had no answers for Mooney, who brought up a half-century off 43 balls. 

She found the boundary 16 times in her match-winning knock while at the other end, McGrath smacked four fours and one huge six as their unbeaten 100-run stand iced victory.

Earlier, Healy won her first toss as Australian skipper and sent India in to bat first in unfamiliar territory in front of a crowd of more than 25,000 fans at DY Patil Stadium.

Shafali Verma handed India a fast start, smacking a four then a six off Megan Schutt’s first over, then dishing out the same punishment to Perry before the veteran allrounder struck back, getting the India opener caught down leg for 21 off 10.

Smriti Mandhana picked up where Shafali left off, hitting four boundaries off Garth’s second over, as India raced to 1-45 off the first four.

A wicket maiden from Perry removed Jemimah Rodrigues for a six-ball duck and sapped momentum from India’s rapid start, the mounting pressure bringing about the dismissal of Mandhana (28 off 22) at the hands of Sutherland.

Image Id: B442BD25ADD0474AA89E6FB9FBD0D903 Image Caption: Ellyse Perry collected 2-10 playing in her first T20I in more than a year // Getty

The tourists already had the upper hand at the halfway mark with India 3-71, and claimed another crucial blow when Garth’s first wicket in Aussie colours brought about the demise of Harmanpreet Kaur (21 off 23).

But thrilling cameos from teenager Ghosh and Sharma swung the momentum firmly back in the hosts’ favour.

Ghosh, who missed out on a spot in India’s silver-medal winning Commonwealth Games squad, smacked five fours and two sixes – including one enormous blow straight down the ground – in her 20-ball 36.

She put on 56 runs in 5.3 overs alongside Devika Vaidya (25no off 24) for the fifth wicket before Gardner finally broke through to remove the hard-hitting 19-year-old in the 17th over.

But Sharma picked up where she left off, smacking eight boundaries and thrilling the ever-growing (and increasingly vocal) crowd as a further 40 runs were scored off the final three overs to set Australia a record chase.

Image Id: A68EE91F643D491CB1BBC37AABC72412 Image Caption: The Mumbai crowd brought out the best in Deepti Sharma // Getty

Her late hitting saw Schutt finish with figures of 0-43, her toughest return in a T20I.

Earlier, Perry presented Garth with her T20I cap, capping a remarkable journey for the former Ireland allrounder who moved to Australia in 2020 to pursue life as a professional domestic player for Victoria, only to break into the national side.

Garth’s parents – both former Ireland cricketers – were on hand to witness their daughter’s second international debut.

Image Id: 7D0D1E4126E54AEB8609D418504E2A0F Image Caption: Kim Garth is presented T20I cap No.58 by Ellyse Perry // Getty

Perry and Sutherland were the other changes from the XI which won Commonwealth Games gold in Australia’s most recent T20I in August, replacing Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes. Garth came into the side for Darcie Brown, who had not trained since arriving in India due to illness.

Australia's T20I tour of India 

1st T20I: Australia won by 9 wickets

2nd T20I: December 11, D.Y. Patil Stadium, Mumbai (Dec 12, 12.30am AEDT) 

3rd T20I: December 14, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai (Dec 15, 12.30am AEDT) 

4th T20I: December 17, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai (Dec 18, 12.30am AEDT) 

5th T20I: December 20, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai (Dec 21, 12.30am AEDT) 

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Devika Vaidya, S Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol