India eye improved batting show to stay afloat in women’s ODI series against Australia

Having won the T20 series 2-1, a below-par India started the ODI contests on a frustrating note, losing by six wickets in Brisbane. The Indian women’s team has never won a bilateral ODI series against Australia.

Outplayed in the series-opener, reigning world champions India will aim for an improved batting effort in the second women’s ODI against Australia to keep the three-match rubber alive on Friday (February 27, 2026).

Having won the T20 series 2-1, a below-par India started the ODI contests on a frustrating note, losing by six wickets in Brisbane. The Indian women’s team has never won a bilateral ODI series againstAustralia.

Australia have dominated the rivalry against India in this format, having won all 11 of the bilateral ODI series between the two sides, including a 3–0 win in late 2024 and a 2–1 victory in September 2025.

But India will look to draw inspiration from their five-wicket victory over Australia in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup semifinals.

In the lung-opener here, India were not up to the challenge and were bundled out for a palely 214.

Barring vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (58), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (53) and Kahsvee Gautam (43), no other Indian batsman could produce substantial knocks and struggled against Australia’s disciplined bowling.

Opening the batting, Pratika Rawal made a duck, while Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Dipti Sharma also failed to rise to the occasion. India would be banking on the quartet to come good on Friday.

Big-hitting wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh, who made 23, also struggled and the team would hope that she provides the much-needed impetus toward the end.

On the bowling front, left-arm spinner Shree Charani was the star with figures of 2/41 from her nine overs, but she would look for support from the likes of Deepti Sharma (1/49) and Kashvee in the middle overs.

But the onus would be on right-arm fast medium pacers Renuka Singh and Kranti Gaud to impose the damage early on, which they failed to do in the series-opener.

Trailing in the series, the Indian team management may also be tempted to bring in all-rounders Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana.

Senior India all-rounder Deepti hopes to make a strong comeback in the second ODI to draw equality in the series.

As a team we played but the result didn’t come our way. We wil come back stronger in the next game,” she said on the eve of the match.

“We will keep it simple, we are not thinking that much. We are focusing on our strengths.”

Australia, on the other hand, will be confident of providing the perfect goodbye to their skipper Alyssa Healy, who scored a fine 50 at the top in the last match, by sealing the series on Friday.

Healy and Phoebe Litchfield have been consistent at the top, sewing a half-century stand and they will like to continue in the same vein.

The chase was a cakewalk forAustralia with Beth Mooney (76) and Annabel Sutherland (48 not out) completing the proceedings with an 85-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Australia’s bowling has also been spot on with Megan Schutt, Ashleigh Gardner, Alana King, Tahila McGrath and Sophie Molineux all being economical and among wickets.

The trophy for the multi-format series, which includes a lone pink ball Test in Perth, will be decided on points, with two points for each T20 and 50-over victory and four for a Test victory.

Teams:

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Kashvee Gautam, Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal.

Australia: Alyssa Healy(c), Sophie Molineux(vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.

After a disappointing six-wicket defeat in the series opener, reigning world champions India face Australia in a must-win second ODI today, February 27, 2026, in Hobart.

Match Context & Series Status

Series Standings: Australia leads the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first ODI in Brisbane.
Venue: The match is being held at the Bellerive Oval (now known as Ninja Stadium) in Hobart.
India’s Current Status: India won the toss and elected to bat first.

Key Areas for Improvement

India’s primary objective is to straighten the batting collapses seen in the first match to keep the series alive.
Top-order Stability: In the opener, India was bundled out for 214. While Smriti Mandhana (58) and Harmanpreet Kaur (53) scored half-centuries, the rest of the top order, including Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues, failed to contribute significantly.
Finishing Power: India is looking for more momentum at the death from Richa Ghosh and lower-order contributions from players like Kashvee Gautam, who was a bright spot with 43 runs in the first game.
Bowling Support: India is counting on spinners like Shree Charani (who took 2/41 in the opener) and experienced Deepti Sharma to provide middle-overs control.

Historical Significance

Series Draft:The Indian women’s team has never won a bilateral ODI series against Australia.
Recent Momentum: India entered this series on a high after winning the T20I leg 2-1, their first bilateral T20I series win against Australia in a decade.

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