India suffers series whitewash against Australia: Talking points

The Indian women's cricket team suffered its third defeat against Australia in the third One-Day International (ODI) at the WACA, in Perth on Wednesday.

After having Australia down at 78-4, thanks to Arundhati Reddy's incredible spell, the Aussies stormed back in and scored a mammoth total of 298, thanks to a brilliant century by Annabelle Sutherland, who was supported by Ashley Gardner and captain Tahlia McGrath.

In reply, the Indian innings got off well, thanks to a 100-run partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol but after the two got out, India lost the last seven wickets for just 26 runs, getting bowled out for 215.

Smriti continued her fine form in this format, with yet another century, scoring a wonderful 105 (109b, 14x4s, 1x6) but it was in vain as India lost the third and final ODI, ending the series in a 0-3 whitewash.

Australia's 'never-panic' attitude saves them yet again

Despite a good start, the Aussies found themself reeling at 78-4, thanks to Arundhati's fiery spell, picking up the top four of the Australian batting unit.

But, even then, the women in yellow remained calm. Gardner and Sutherland took their time and once settled, started playing their strokes and the runs started to flow.

After Gardner departed, scoring a well-made 50 (64b, 5x4s), captain McGrath joined the party and guided her team to a match-winning total, scoring an unbeaten 56 (50b, 5x4s) in the process.

Sutherland, on one end, stood tall, and continued her love affair at the WACA, bringing up a brilliant century, when her team was in trouble.

She made 110 (95b, 9x4s, 4x6s), and on a hot day at Perth, her running between the wickets was exceptional, as she and McGrath ran plenty of twos and kept the scoreboard ticking even when not scoring boundaries.

Indian batting fails, a recurrent theme

In a pattern that is not going to be welcomed by the Indian cricketing community, the Indian batting, barring Smriti Mandhana, failed once again, getting bowled out for 215.

The most shocking part of the batting story is that, at one stage, India was in a strong position, at 189-4, when Smriti was dismissed, but lost its remaining wickets for just 26 runs, in an embarrassing figure for the Indian batting unit.

Unlike Sutherland, who was supported by Gardner and McGrath, Smriti had no support apart from Harleen Deol, who made 39 (64b, 4x4s) and the rest of the batters did not cross 20 runs, perfectly encapsulating the state of the Indian batting unit.

In the list of top run-getters in this series, except for Smriti, there is no other Indian in the top five.

In fact, upon closer introspection, of Smriti's 122 runs in this series, 105 came just in the third ODI. Such is the sad state of the Indian batting, where no other Indian managed even 100 runs in total across three ODIs.

Smriti creates history

Smriti Mandhana, though, continues to dazzle, with yet another century, her ninth in ODIs.

Without Shafali Verma, her regular opening partner, the pressure was on the left-handed batter to do well and despite ordinary returns from the first two ODIs, she batted beautifully today.

Understanding the pace and bounce of the WACA surface, Smriti was the only Indian batter who adjusted to the conditions, playing the ball late and through the square of the wicket and reaped her rewards for it.

This is her fourth century in 2024, following two against South Africa and one against New Zealand, and she became the first female cricketer to score four ODI centuries in a calendar year.

She has been the only positive from what has been a miserable batting performance from the Indian unit across the series.

Ahead of the World Cup, serious questions remain unanswered

The Women's Cricket World Cup is scheduled to be held in India in 2025, and India remains unclear with their team combinations with just months to go.

With the World Cup happening at home, this might be India's best chance at toppling the dominance of the Aussies but with what we are seeing at the moment, it is just not looking good.

For starters, why was Shafali dropped without proper planning on the batting order? If Richa as an opener was their plan, why did it not happen right from the first ODI? Also, with Richa moved from the middle order, a suitable hard-hitting finisher was needed but there was none. Why was it not addressed?

Harmanpreet looks out of her depth in coming up with solutions to the problems faced by the Indian team currently and going into a World Cup year, these are problems you shouldn't have.

What next for Team India?

The Indian cricket team will be back on home soil, for a 3-match T20 and ODI series against West Indies, starting from 15th December, at the D.Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai.

After a disappointing trip down under, it is hoped that the Indians bounce back against the Windies and close out the calendar year on a high.