Records tumble as Australia hold on in remarkable Delhi runs-fest

Australia have held their nerve in a remarkable ODI runs-fest to seal a 43-run win and a series victory over India on a record-breaking day for the batters in Delhi.

A flat deck and a lightning-quick outfield combined to create a batting paradise at Arun Jaitley Stadium and on a day that saw 781 runs scored, it was Beth Mooney (138 off 75) who cashed in for Australia, helping them post a staggering 412 all out from 47.5 overs.

Mooney’s century was the equal-second fastest in women’s ODIs, but in-form India opener Smriti Mandhana (125 off 63) barely allowed the ink to dry on the record books before she hammered her own hundred from just 50 balls.

Ultimately, the hosts fell 43 runs short, bowled out for 369 in 47 overs, as Australia sealed a 2-1 series win.

But it was a match that rewrote the playbook for what is possible in women’s one-day internationals, on the eve of the ODI World Cup starting September 30.

Totals above 400 had been struck on six previous occasions in women’s one-dayers, but all of those were achieved by strong, established teams bullying far weaker opponents.

Sri Lanka hold the record for highest successful chase in a women’s ODI, having reeled in South Africa’s 301 in 2024, meaning India didn’t just need to break a record to claim a series win on Saturday – they needed to smash it.

For 20 overs, a rampant Mandhana had that outcome firmly in play.

The left-handed opener, coming off scores of 58 and 117 in the first two games of the series, again left the Australian attack with no answers.

She was given a single life, with Grace Harris putting down a tough chance when the India opener was on 53.

Her opening partner Pratika Rawal (10) and first drop Harleen Deol (11) could not capitalise on the conditions, but she found a willing accomplice in Harmanpreet Kaur, who joined Mandhana in a 121-run third-wicket stand.

The India skipper struck 52 off 35 balls as her team raced to 2-206 from 20 overs before Kim Garth broke through, trapping Kaur lbw.

Searching for a way to stop Mandhana’s onslaught, and without the options of Annabel Sutherland (hip soreness) or Darcie Brown (back spasms), Healy tossed the ball to part-timer off-spinner Harris.

It wasn’t pretty but it was ultimately effective, as Mandhana’s attempt to dispatch a rank full toss into the stands instead picked out Ashleigh Gardner, who did well at deep backward square leg to hang onto a low catch diving forward, ending a 63-ball innings that featured 17 fours and five sixes.

Smriti Mandhana continued her dominant run // Getty

Finally, the Australians could take a breath, with both set batters back in the sheds in the space of seven balls.

A piece of luck followed, as Alana King got a hand to a straight drive from Deepti Sharma that went on to hit the stumps, catching the dangerous Richa Ghosh (6) outside her crease at the non-striker’s end.

Having lost 3-25 and with a considerable amount of work left to do needing 182 from 161, Sharma looked to take the game deep and while she was at the crease, hope remained for the hosts as the runs required edged under 100.

Tahlia McGrath finally dislodged the allrounder for 72 off 58 as sub-fielder Charli Knott held her nerve and a catch in the deep, and with 59 runs needed from the final 7.3 overs, it was a league too far for India’s tail.

Australia celebrate Richa Ghosh’s wicket // Getty

Megan Schutt had Sneh Rana stumped to pick up her 300th international wicket across all formats – becoming just the second Australian woman to the milestone behind Perry – before Garth’s third wicket to put the icing on a hard-fought win.

Earlier, after Healy won the toss and elected to bat in the series decider, the Australian batters made hay in the Delhi sunshine.

Healy set the tone, hammering seven boundaries in her 30 off 18 balls, before coming unstuck when she chipped a simple catch to Kaur.

Georgia Voll (81 off 68) off made the most of her second opportunity filling in for Phoebe Litchfield – who missed a second consecutive game with a low-grade quad strain – powering her way to a half-century from 43 deliveries.

Her run towards a second career century was thwarted when she top-edged Rana on 81, and Ellyse Perry’s comparatively sedate 68 off 72 ended when she holed out looking to hit Arundhati Reddy down the ground for a third maximum.

Mooney outshone the top three, the Queenslander on the attack from ball one as she put away anything even slightly off target from the India attack.

Her half-century came from just 31 balls, and Mooney only accelerated from there, with her next 50 runs coming off just 26 balls as she reached three figures from 57 deliveries, (temporarily) equalling Karen Rolton’s mark as the second-fastest women’s ODI hundred of all time.

She appeared unstoppable, and ultimately only a mix-up with partner Harris brought about the end of her 75-ball innings, as she was run-out looking for a second run off an overthrow.

That 44th over brought about the belated swing in momentum India sorely needed: Mooney, McGrath (14) and the Harris (1) were dismissed in the space of five balls, and the tail swung hard but regular wickets fell as Australia lost 6-34, going from 4-378 to 412 all out in 3.3 overs.

King was the final wicket to fall, caught in the deep looking to clear the rope in the 48th over.

Just one more run would have been enough for the Australians to post their highest ever ODI total – as it was, they had to be content with sharing the record with Belinda Clark’s team that posted 3-412 against Denmark in Mumbai during the 1997 World Cup.

The Australian World Cup squad will now fly to Bengaluru on Sunday, where they will freshen up ahead of their warm-up game against England on September 28.

Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (c) (wk), Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt

India XI: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Kranti Goud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy

Qantas ODI tour of India 2025

September 14: First ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

September 17: Second ODI: India won by 102 runs

September 20: Third ODI: Australia won by 43 runs

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Sneh Rana

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicole Faltum, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Charli Knott, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

2025 Women’s ODI World Cup

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

Australia’s warm-up match

September 28: v England, Bengaluru, Bengaluru, 7:30pm AEST

Australia’s group stage matches

October 1: v New Zealand, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 7:30pm AEST

October 4: v Sri Lanka, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 7:30pm AEST

October 8: v Pakistan, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 8:30pm AEDT

October 12: v India, ACA-VDCA Stadium Visakhapatnam, 8:30pm AEDT

October 16: v Bangladesh, ACA-VDCA Stadium Visakhapatnam, 8:30pm AEDT

October 22: v England, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 8:30pm AEDT

October 25: v South Africa, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 8:30pm AEDT

Finals

Semi-final 1: Guwahati or Colombo*, October 29, 8:30pm AEDT