India won the toss and elected to bat, setting Australia an imposing target in the first of three one-dayers, which are effectively warm-up games for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup starting later this month.Â
But the hosts, having posted 7- 281 in their 50 overs, were clinically overhauled by the run-happy Aussies with Litchfield leading the way, cracking 14 fours in an 80-ball knock while Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland also carded impressive half centuries.
Earlier, openers Smriti Mandhana (58) and Pratika Rawal (64) and then Harleen Deol also went past the 50 mark for India, the latter at No.3 becoming the first of two victims to Megan Schutt (2-45), who became the ninth Australian woman to play 100 one-day internationals.
Richa Ghosh (25) and Radha Yadav (19) added valuable runs down the Indian order while Deepti Sharma was unbeaten on 25 in the face of tight bowling from Ellyse Perry (0-15), Sutherland (1-31) and Georgia Wareham (0-36).
In reply, Australia captain and opener Alyssa Healy looked determined to take the game to India before she fell to all-rounder Kranti Goode fror a brisk 27.
But then it was time for Litchfield, next backed up by Perry, to really impose herself on the game as she reached her half-century from 44 deliveries.
Perry's contribution was ended early when the 34-year-old was forced to retire with a calf cramping on 30, but player-of-the-match Litchfield maintained the momentum until she fell 12 runs short of a third one-day century when caught off Sneh Rana.
That left Mooney and Sutherland, who were unbeaten on 77 and 54 respectively, to see the visitors past the target, reaching 2-282 in 44.1 overs with 35 balls to spare, in what was the fourth-highest run chase in women's one-dayers.
22°C