Indian pacer Pooja Vasktrakar gave the hosts just the start they wanted as she sent Australia's Ellyse Perry back right at the start of the one-off Test between the two nations at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, December 21.
The seam bowlers get movement early on at the Wankhede and Vastrakar made full use of the help, pitching the ball in the right areas and drawing Perry onto the front foot. That left a big gap between her bat and pad and the ball rattled her stumps after nipping back off the seam.
Ellyse Perry could only trudge back in acknowledgment that she had received an absolute ripper. Pooja Vastrakar was understandably ecstatic and was swarmed by her teammates as they knew just how big a wicket it was.
Here's a video of the two quick wickets early on, including that of Perry:
Mooney, McGrath provide stability after India rock visitors early
Australian skipper Alyssa Healy had no problem whatsoever in batting first after winning the toss. However, the visitors got off to the worst possible start as a misunderstanding between Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield saw the debutant run out without facing a single delivery.
Perry's wicket soon after would have given the hosts belief that they could make more inroads into Australia's deep batting line-up. However, Tahlia McGrath came out with a positive mindset and got a flurry of boundaries to set the visitors on their way.
Mooney has also grown in confidence gradually and the partnership has started to look ominous for India. They will rue the dropped catches that could have sent back McGrath and also a DRS of Mooney that they failed to take when the replays showed three reds. The hosts need to keep chipping away with wickets to ensure the Aussies don't run away with the game.
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