Following a historic Test victory against the formidable Aussies, the Indian Women’s team was sent to field first by Australian captain Alyssa Healy after winning the toss. Despite the Indian pacers starting strongly, there were multiple missed catching opportunities and a lack of referrals to the Decision Review System (DRS).
This allowed the Australian openers several chances until Pooja Vastrakar finally dismissed Healy. Early in the game, Amanjot Kaur dropped a crucial catch to dismiss Phoebe Litchfield, followed by Smriti Mandhana’s error at mid-off and Yastika Bhatia missing an easy chance.
Despite surviving an lbw appeal, the Australian batter was fortunate as the Indian team chose not to review, using up a review for a ball pitching outside the leg stump. Vastrakar then took charge and claimed the first wicket, celebrating with a spirited send-off.
In the ninth over, Vastrakar delivered a fuller ball aimed at the leg stump, catching the wicketkeeper-batter off guard and sending her stumps flying. The batter, attempting a flick, misjudged the delivery, resulting in the ball beating the inside edge.
BOWLED! ⚡️
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 30, 2023
Australian skipper Alyssa Healy departs as @Vastrakarp25 gets the opening breakthrough! 👌👌
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Vastrakar immediately celebrated by gesturing towards the Australian captain, directing her to head back to the pavilion. Witnessing this, even the wicketkeeper, Richa Ghosh, was surprised and displayed a shocked reaction.