Australia v India First ODI Report Card
Featuring Fields Medals, returnees and Australian Survivor
Fields Medals
Grade: C-
Having stumbled to a 2-1 defeat in the T20 portion of the multi-format series, Australian fans welcomed back Alyssa Healy to captain the team for the ODIs, with Sophie Molineux dropping back to vice captain.
Other changes included Elysse Perry and Kim Garth ruled out with leg injuries, and Georgie Wareham ruled out with a bad case of perceived-as-a-T20-specialistitis. All of which opened the door for the return of Megan Schutt, Alana King and Tahlia McGrath, along with the previously mentioned Healy.
Is that more players in than out? Possibly. They’re elite cricketers, not Fields Medal winners (unless, perhaps, we’re talking about former captain Jodie Fields, in which case, maybe a couple of them have nabbed a medal in her honour - my point is that they haven’t won the mathematical award, as made famous by the movie Good Will Hunting, a film in which Jodie Fields has, at most, a small uncredited cameo).
Look, you’ve got me all bogged down with your pedantry. Especially your pedantry that points out the time displacement between when I’m writing this and when you’re reading it and the impossible causality I’m ascribing to you. Nevertheless, I’ll look past it for now to note the most exciting aspect of Healy’s return - which is that she left the gloves with Beth Mooney and instead joyously roamed the field like a beloved old dog being sent to live on a farm for the last few months of her life.
Great to see. More wicketkeepers should do this.
Returnees
Grade: B
Returnee Schutt struck early in her return, trapping Pratika Rawal for a duck in her first over. She and Darcie Brown combined to keep things tight in their opening spells, the latter also having Shafali Verma caught and bowled to leave India 2/25 after 7.4 overs.
Neither of them, however, had the common sense to dismiss Smriti Mandhana, despite finding the India opener’s edge on multiple occasions. And so, needless to say, Mandhana led an India recovery, helping herself to a half-century and her team to a whole century. Come on, Australia. This kind of behaviour is precisely why you don’t let Smriti repeatedly edge through the slips early in the innings.
Luckily, another returnee, this time Tahlia McGrath, had the common sense to put an end to Mandhana, having her caught down at deep fine by fellow returnee Alana King. King then got rid of Deepti Sharma and India were 5/103 in the 25th over.
You’d have to think if Australia had replaced their entire team with returning players they might well have bowled India out for about eighty-odd. As it is, they had to settle for 214.
Still, something to consider for the second ODI.
Australian Survivor
Grade: B+
Australia’s run chase was boringly sensible. So much so that I ducked off to watch Australian Survivor instead. Here’s what I missed, in limerick form.
Litchfield stumped from a shot quite misguided,
Then Georgia Voll out, cruelly blindsided
But Healy’s defiance
And a Mooney alliance
Ensured a big win (or so the jury decided)