Australia Women vs India Women | India Women tour of Australia, 2026 | 1st ODI

Over and out - That wraps up this game, with Australia Women taking the early lead in the WODIs and levelling the points tally at 4-4 (two points for a win in a white-ball game, after India Women claimed the T20I series 2-1). Australia will aim to seal the contest in the next match, while India will be eager to bounce back and force a decider. The 2nd ODI will be played on Friday, 27th February, at the Ninja Stadium in Hobart. It will begin at 3.50 am GMT (9.20 am IST), and you can join us early for all the build-up to the game. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

Happy with the way the team responded - Australia's skipper, Alyssa Healy, says she is pretty pleased with the effort. She admits there was a little bit on them coming into this one, but she is proud of the group for bouncing back strongly. Healy mentions that they really enjoy this format and are good at it. Looking ahead to Hobart, she hopes the side can adapt quickly to the conditions and carry the momentum forward. Shares that for now, it is about rest and recovery, with a few tired bodies after a heavy season. Shares that the plan is to have a day together, relax, and then focus on adapting and adjusting quickly in Hobart.

Need to step up as a batting unit - The stand-in skipper of India, Smriti Mandhana, says it is always hard to recover from two wickets down inside the Powerplay. Feels they didn't expect the wicket to play this way. On Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti feels she will be fine. Mentions they are playing good cricket, one loss doesn't change anything, but as a batting unit, they have to step up in the next match and come back stronger.

Let's hear what the captains have to say...

Too few runs to defend - There isn't much to write home about regarding India’s bowling, and their fielding, an area that has concerned them for a while, did little to help their cause. Sree Charani briefly raised hopes with a double strike, but they failed to build on that momentum and, in truth, simply did not have enough runs on the board to apply sustained pressure on the Aussies. Kranti Gaud managed to dismiss Healy, while Deepti Sharma also got one, but by then the damage had already been done, and India had no real way to challenge Australia in the remainder of the chase.

Underwhelming total - Earlier in the game, India Women could only post a below-par total despite half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. Richa Ghosh made a handy contribution, and Kashvee Gautam provided a late flourish to push them past the 200-run mark, but seven single-digit scores are far from ideal for the World Champions. It was a collective bowling effort from Australia Women, with Ashleigh Gardner leading the charge with a three-fer and Megan Schutt picking up a couple, while every other bowler except Annabel Sutherland chipped in with a wicket apiece.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Beth Mooney wins the award for her excellent knock of 76 off 79. She says she walked in after a couple of quick wickets and knew she had to build the innings. Feels that Alyssa Healy did well to get herself in and build a partnership. Mooney mentions that Healy makes her life easier, and she slotted in beautifully. On the surface, she says that it was a pretty tough wicket to bat on, but if you give yourself time, there were runs to be had. Beth believes that at this venue, when the wicket is new, the balls do hold up in the surface, and it gets easier under lights, but it was not as easy on the night due to the way the Indian spinners bowled.

Australia cruise home - Australia were off to a flying start, with Phoebe Litchfield taking on the aggressor's role while Alyssa Healy anchored the innings. They raced to 50 inside the Powerplay but were pegged back by a double strike, losing Litchfield and Voll off successive deliveries. However, the experienced pair of Mooney and Healy ensured India never clawed their way back with a fine 64-run stand. The duo rotated strike smartly even when boundaries were hard to find and, with minimal scoreboard pressure, batted with complete control. Healy brought up a classy half-century before departing soon after, while Mooney continued fluently, raising a fifty of her own and, alongside Sutherland, shifting gears. Mooney eventually fell for 76, but Sutherland finished the job in style, staying unbeaten on 48 with more than 10 overs to spare.

AB Field fortress - A dominant victory for the Aussies as they draw first blood in the ODI series. They were on top of their game from the outset, outplaying India in all aspects and once again showing why they are so hard to beat at home. The win feels even more special as they extended their incredible unbeaten record at the Allan Border Field, making it 21 wins out of 21 matches at this venue in this format.