Australia crumble to record defeat, India run rampant in second ODI

A Smriti Mandhana masterclass and an India attack inspired by the return of Renuka Thakur have brought Australia crashing back down to earth with a record 102-run defeat in the second ODI in New Chandigarh.

Mandhana’s brilliant 91-ball 117 laid the foundation for India’s 292 all out at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, ensuring Australia would have to pull off their highest ever ODI run chase to seal a series win.

Smriti Mandhana was simply sublime // Getty

Australia had reeled in 282 with ease just three days earlier, but Thakur, playing her first international game since December 2024, put the tourists under the pump from ball one on Wednesday.

The fighting efforts of Annabel Sutherland (45 from 42) and Ellyse Perry (44 from 61) not enough as Australia were bowled out for 190 in 40.5 overs.

It was Australia’s heaviest defeat in an ODI, and their first loss in the format since January 2024.

India meanwhile snapped a four-year drought having last bettered the Aussies in a one-dayer in late 2021, setting up a series decider at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

Australia will be hoping in-form opener Phoebe Litchfield, who missed Wednesday’s match with a low-grade calf strain, will be fit for the must-win game, but India will remain without star batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who has been ruled out of the series due to a viral fever.

Mandhana was at her classy best during her 91-ball innings after India were asked to bat first, putting the Australian attack under immense pressure from ball one.

The 29-year-old played a chanceless hand as she raced to a century from just 77 deliveries, her 12th one-day ton and her seventh since the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand.

Smriti Mandhana was at her brilliant best // Getty

On a day where India’s next highest scorer was Deepti Sharma with a 53-ball 40, Mandhana looked to be batting on another planet, hitting 14 fours and a quartet of sixes before she was finally dismissed seeking to hit Tahlia McGrath over the boundary for a fifth in the 33rd over.

The foundation she laid was enough to see India post their highest ever ODI total against Australia despite the hosts losing 6-53 through the latter part of their innings.

It was also the highest total by any team batting first against the reigning world champions, bettering the 6-288 New Zealand piled on at North Sydney Oval in 2012.

Entering unchartered territory, Australia’s chase got off to a poor start when Georgia Voll, filling in for first-game hero Litchfield at the top of the order, was dismissed for a five-ball duck.

The Queenslander got an early life when Richa Ghosh could not hang into a sharp chance behind the stumps, but she could not capitalise, chopping on pacer Thakur a ball later.

The return of Thakur from a back stress fracture provided the new-ball spark India had lacked in the opening game, as she joined with fellow quick Kranti Gaud to pile on the pressure through the power play.

Renukar Thakur made an immediate impact in her return // Getty

Australia’s position became trickier when Alyssa Healy (9 from 19) holed out in the fifth over, leaving her team 2-12.

Perry and Mooney survived a series of close calls – the latter dropped by Ghosh on nought – to see Australia to 2-25 at the end of the Powerplay, a stark contrast to the 0-64 India had been at the same point earlier in the day.

Mooney was dropped again on eight looking to break the shackles and never looked truly comfortable. Her first boundary came in the 17th over, but she was walking back to the dressing room three deliveries later, caught in the deep looking to take on Sneh Rana.

Sutherland was dropped on 13 when Radha Yadav put down a regulation return catch, but the left-arm spinner made amends shortly after when she clung onto a much tougher chance again off her own bowling, diving low to her left to send Perry on her way.

Australia needed a partnership to take the game deep, but with the required run rate creeping closer to nine per over, and boundaries few and far between, there was no pressure release.

Kranti Goud picked up three wickets // Getty

Sutherland had looked the most comfortable of the Australians but could not clear Harmanpreet Kaur in the infield in the 30th over, then Ashleigh Gardner (17) picked out Yadav in the deep, leaving the tourists 6-151 in the 34th.

From there the wickets tumbled, Australia losing their final four wickets for 39 runs to be bowled out for 190 in the 41st over, as Gaud finished with three wickets.

Healy had earlier won the toss and opted to bat, with off-spinner Gardner, handed new-ball duties alongside Megan Schutt with Kim Garth rotated out of the XI for Darcie Brown, the clear standout with the ball for Australia, sending down 40 dots in her 2-39 from 10 overs.

Ashleigh Gardner was the pick of the bowlers for Australia // Getty

While she was unable to replicate her previous success in securing the wicket of the left-handed Mandhana, Gardner did make the first breakthrough for the tourists when she had opener Pratika Rawal caught for 25 in the 12th over, then returned to dismiss Kaur (17).

Brown (3-42) went wicketless early but returned late to pick up three lower-order wickets, while Sutherland (1-58), who created problems for the India batters and picked up the key wicket of Ghosh, was the only Australian other than Gardner to bowl her full allotment.

Australia and India will now travel to New Delhi for the third and final ODI at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (c) (wk), Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

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, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 6pm AEST

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), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, 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