Australia have lost both their openers in needless fashion to reach 2-63 at lunch on day three of the one-off Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, still trailing India by 124 runs.
After bowling the hosts out for 406 on the third morning on Saturday, Beth Mooney (33) and Phoebe Litchfield (18) gifted their wickets away, leaving Australia in big trouble.
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Mooney had been in superb touch, going at almost a run-a-ball, before showing a lack of awareness to be run out by debutant Richa Ghosh.
Australia’s opener defended Sneh Rana to silly point where Ghosh threw the stumps down as Mooney was caught napping, wandering out of her crease.
Litchfield, run out without facing a ball in Australia’s first-innings 219, tried to reverse-sweep a delivery from Rana which was far too full, missing the shot and having her stumps disturbed.
Superstar Ellyse Perry (seven) and new vice-captain Tahlia McGrath (one) have a mountain of work to do to prevent India from winning a women’s Test against Australia for the first time.
India resumed at 7-376 overnight before advancing to their highest score against Australia and their fourth biggest ever in the format.
Offspinning allrounder Deepti Sharma (78) spearheaded India’s tremendous lower-order rearguard, well supported by Pooja Vastrakar (47).
After coming together at 7-274 — on the back of a 4-14 mini-collapse — the pair ripped the momentum away from the tourists with a 122-run stand, India’s best ever for the eighth wicket.
The long partnership finally ended when Vastrakar pulled an Annabel Sutherland bouncer to Kim Garth at square leg.
The brilliant Sharma was then bowled by Garth before Australia’s short-ball tactics worked again when Renuka Singh (eight), taking evasive action, hung her bat out and spooned Sutherland’s bumper to Ash Gardner at gully.
The pace of Sutherland (2-41) and Garth (2-58) got the job done after the offspin of Gardner (4-100) had triggered India’s second-day mid-innings wobble.
AAP