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Australian Women clean-swept India 3-0 in ODI

Australian Women clean-swept India 3-0 in ODI

Smriti Mandhana's century (105) in the third ODI went in vain.

After completing the ODI series that goes off nothing, Smriti Mandhana accepted that India’a 0-3 defeat in all the three matches was a huge loss for them. 
Lately, India-Australia matches in the shorter formats have been closely fought, with India managing some wins too. But this series was different, as Australia controlled most of the action, except for a few brief moments. The shocking collapse in the third ODI, where India went from 165-2 to 215 all out, perfectly summed up how the series went for the visitors.
She said that she couldn’t digest it properly because they came after winning from New Zealand, and they thought that the team was looking great but was still outrun by Australia. 
"Especially in the second and third ODIs, there were moments when our bowling worked well and other times when our batting clicked, but we didn’t perform as a team. There’s a lot to learn, and hopefully, we’ll improve," Mandhana said. 
India’s fielding was under the spotlight throughout the series, particularly in Perth, where missed chances allowed Australia to recover from 78/4 and set a challenging total of 298. The fielding and catching were below par, a recurring issue for India in limited-overs cricket. Mandhana acknowledged these lapses and expressed optimism about improving in this area.
She added that fielding is still their weakness, and they have been working on it for the past one and a half years or almost two years. And they already have improved a lot in these years but still couldn’t be a finished product. 
"They need to put in consistent effort every day to improve the team’s fielding. The good thing is that everyone is eager to learn from their mistakes. And they assure that they will take it in stride and work on fixing those errors."  
On a day when most Indian bowlers struggled, including the usually reliable Deepti Sharma, Reddy delivered an outstanding spell of seam bowling. Her early burst put Australia in trouble after their quick start of 58/0 towards the end of the PowerPlay. With conditions favouring pace, Reddy hit her rhythm perfectly, building pressure on the batters. Despite playing her first game of the series, the medium-pacer showed no signs of rust or nerves and claimed crucial wickets with her impressive performance.
"I was just told to focus on taking wickets," Reddy shared when asked about her instructions before coming into the attack. "The plan was simple—keep looking for wickets. Since she didn't play the first two games, she had time to observe the Australian batters and plan accordingly."  
Reddy delivered an extraordinary spell, finishing with figures of 4-26, narrowly missing out on a five-wicket haul after a review overturned a decision. Despite the missed milestone, Reddy kept a grounded perspective.  
"I think I was trying too hard for the fifer. Just unlucky, I guess. But wickets only matter when the team wins. Unfortunately, we couldn't pull it off this time," she reflected. "Still, it gives her a lot of confidence. Playing against Australia, one of the best teams in the world is always a challenge, and she wants to do well against the best."  
Among India's strategic choices, the decision to open with Richa Ghosh in the last two ODIs raised some questions. Known for her power-hitting in the middle and death overs, Ghosh is not typically suited to facing the new ball. While the move was initially a forced change due to Priya Punia’s injury, India stuck with it for the final game as well.  
Mandhana explained, "That’s a decision we’ll evaluate once we’re back home. Priya’s injury in the second game left us with limited options. Chasing 371, we felt Richa, being our most attacking batter, could turn the game if she got going. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned."  
The final game saw India push Australia harder than before. After reducing the hosts to 78/4 in the first innings and putting up a strong chase led by Mandhana's century, India seemed poised at 165/2. However, Australia tightened their grip with Ashleigh Gardner leading the charge, closing out the series decisively.  
Mandhana remained optimistic, emphasizing her team’s confidence. They have always believed they can compete. There’s no point playing if you don’t believe in yourself. That belief wasn’t new- they had Australia five down in the first game while defending 100. If they had taken their chances, the outcomes could have been different. It’s a learning curve, and they will work on capitalizing on those opportunities. But their belief system has never wavered." 

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