"There was a needle in my butt at 3 am" - Beth Mooney on battling illness ahead of 1st T20I against India

Following her match-winning knock in the first T20I against India at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, December 9, Beth Mooney stated that she fell ill a few days before the game. The Australian keeper-batter even suggested that she wasn't hopeful of playing the series opener.

Mooney battled a stomach bug after arriving in India last Sunday, December 4, and only had one brief practice session before the first game.

She was quoted as saying by Fox Sports:

"We don’t need to go into the gory details, but at some point there was a needle in my butt at 3am on Monday night so I wasn’t in a good way … it was pretty grim."

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old was at her absolute best on Friday night, clobbering a 57-ball 89*, laced with 16 boundaries. Australia, needing a stiff 172 for victory, cantered home by nine wickets as Mooney and captain Alyssa Healy built an opening stand of 73 in 8.5 overs.

The visitors decided to field first and delivered a disciplined bowling performance, with none of the Indian batters scoring big despite starting well. Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma top-scored with 36 each, while Ellyse Perry starred with two scalps.

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Beth Mooney made the most of her early lifeline

Beth Mooney. (Image Credits: Getty)

Mooney got a reprieve when she was on four as Radha Yadav dropped her catch at backward point in the third over off Renuka Singh's bowling. However, the Victorian, who earned the Player of the Match award, played flawlessly after that and brought her half-century in the 14th over.

Australia will undoubtedly be pleased with the way their T20 World Cup preparations have started. They clinched the title in 2020 by beating India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The second T20I of the five-match series will take place on Sunday, December 11, at the same venue.