Australia chase down record score to beat India in Women’s Cricket World Cup – as it happened

6.16pm BST Australia go top of the table. India are in third, but they can’t afford to lose another one. Their remaining games are against New Zealand, England, and Bangladesh, and if they drop one there then New Zealand could jump them, especially if they lose to the Kiwis. That’s it from us. South Africa play Bangladesh tomorrow. 6.12pm BST That’s an extraordinary effort from Australia. The biggest winning run chase ever in women’s ODIs, the second-biggest score ever made batting second, and Healy with the second-biggest individual score in a run chase. She was the difference, with her ability to produce not just the flying start that she often has at her best, but to carry on with it and build it into an innings of substance, taking Australia past 250 by the time she fell. Then it was down to Ellyse Perry, who retired hurt but came back to use her calm and experience and ice the chase. Gardner and Litchfield contributed important runs when called upon. But a lot of the credit also has to go to Annabel Sutherland with the ball, because at 294 for 4 with seven overs to go, India might have been on for 380 rather than 330. Instead she removed both Ghosh and Rodrigues, then came back to wrap up the tail and deny India even batting through their 50th over. For India, Kranti Guad and Amanjot got belted early, but came back later creditably. Charani was excellent, and Deepti held her own. Rana was expensive today, and India’s lack of a sixth option hurt them, although that sixth option might just as well have been belted too. 6.01pm BST Australia win by three wickets with six balls to spare It was a close one, but Perry finishes it. 6.00pm BST 49th over: Australia 331-7 (Perry 47, Garth 14) So, Garth on strike. Rana to bowl spin. This is make or break. Garth can’t score first ball, walks at Rana and drives it back into the ground. And then from nowhere, pulls out the reverse sweep! Not much width but just enough, very fine for four. Then jams a single off her pads. Perry walks down and smokes the ball straight, but only one run to long on. Garth takes another off her legs. Last ball of the over… Perry walks at the bowler and smokes the ball for six! Dead straight, middled. Decides not to risk the chaos of a 50th over, and instead treat that last ball as a free hit. 5.56pm BST 48th over: Australia 318-7 (Perry 40, Garth 8) First ball of the over, Garth pulls one run. Doing her job. Perry can’t score next ball, driving into the off side, then settles for a run down the ground. Three runs from the over, Amanjot is doing her job superbly. It has tightened up to 13 needed from two overs. 5.52pm BST 47th over: Australia 315-7 (Perry 39, Garth 7) Not sure how smart this is from Australia. Perry takes a single first ball of the over. But Garth allays any doubts, reaching for width and carving it behind point for four. Kranti Gaud the bowler. Then should have been run out at the non-striker’s end, but Rodrigues misses the throw from midwicket. Australia get the rushed the single. Perry can’t score off the yorker. Last ball… full toss! Flicked into the midwicket gap, and as two fielders converge, Radha Yadav dives past the ball and can’t get it out of the rope. Two errors from India on the one ball, costly. 5.48pm BST 46th over: Australia 305-7 (Perry 34, Garth 1) Australia send out Kim Garth rather than Alana King, who batted so well the other night. Not sure why. Garth can bat a long time, but they need strike rotating from the get-go. It doesn’t happen here. Only two from the over. 26 runs need from 24 balls. 5.45pm BST WICKET! Molineux lbw Amanjot 18, Australia 303-7 Pinned in front! Molineux walks. Perry chases her and tells her to review. The angle from around the wicket was very sharp to the left-hander, but she was so far back on her stumps that it didn’t make a difference. Hits her in front of off stump after keeping low as she tries to pull. 5.43pm BST 45th over: Australia 303-6 (Molineux 18, Perry 33) We start the over with Australia needing 32 to win. Perry is back in the middle, moving fine. And her hamstring, if that is the problem, gets a test as she sweeps to short fine, Deepti stops the ball, and Molineux is already running from the non-striker’s end. Perry is ball-watching and hesitates. Then she really has to sprint for it, and the ball hits her as she runs. Deepti appeals for obstructing the field, but the umpires brush that off. Perry wasn’t looking at the ball when it was thrown, and only shifted her line to get off the pitch. Another great bit of fielding at cover stops a shot, denying Molineux four, then a scrambling save at short third by Kranti Gaud saves three. 28 needed from 30. 5.39pm BST WICKET! Gardner b Amanjot 45, Australia 299-6 44th over: Australia 299-6 (Molineux 16) So, Charani and Deepti are bowled out. Kranti Gaud and Rana have two overs each. And there are potentially six overs to go after this one from Amanjot. It’s not working, though, for India. A hint of width, Molineux is a left-hander, so her cut flies fine, past the short third fielder in the circle, for four. But from the last ball of the over, she gets through Gardner! I think I heard an Indian player starting to appeal after that ball hit Gardner’s pad. It was off the inside edge. But that doesn’t matter when the second ricochet then goes back onto the stumps. Just straight and length and missed, mostly, angled in at the batter. 5.34pm BST 43rd over: Australia 292-5 (Gardner 44, Molineux 10) Gardner has been quiet for a while. She’s happy to coast through Deepti’s last over and look for the runs elsewhere. Four singles. Perry is padded up on the bench and smiling. Updated at 5.39pm BST 5.33pm BST 42nd over: Australia 288-5 (Gardner 42, Molineux 8) Amanjot has been expensive today, but India are short on options with eight overs to go. So Molineux joins the boundary party with a pull shot for four, just beating the chase, after cutting for two when Charani was able to stop it on the rope. Updated at 5.39pm BST 5.26pm BST 41st over: Australia 280-5 (Gardner 41, Molineux 1) So. That over started with a dropped catch from Gardner at point, Charani too slow to move towards a looping outside edge and dropping it as she slid. But it does produce the wicket of McGrath, after she belted her third boundary sweeping. Molineux comes to the middle, but Perry is warming up on the boundary line in case she needs to return. Another 51 runs required, it ain’t nothing. Updated at 5.39pm BST 5.24pm BST WICKET! McGrath lbw Deepti 12, Australia 279-5 Great review from Deepti! She was convinced, and her captain took no convincing that it was time to roll the dice. Umpire thinks this ball has hit outside the line, but it has turned enough to sneak just inside the line. And is going on to hit the leg stump, after a big stride forward from McGrath. Another twist. 5.21pm BST 40th over: Australia 274-4 (Gardner 40, McGrath 8) Early attack from McGrath, walking at Kranti Gaud and baseballing her down the ground for four. Then bangs one over cover, and Amanjot looks to have it covered but it beats her dive in the end. The perfect fast start for McGrath to make sure she doesn’t slow the innings down. 5.17pm BST 39th over: Australia 265-4 (Gardner 39, McGrath 0) Interesting that after the TV producer said they only had two angles on that catch, they produce a replay from a third angle after the decision has been made. The view is partly obscured but it might have added to the story. Probably supporting the decision that was made. End of the over. Tahlia McGrath with some ground to make up after getting belted with the ball earlier. Updated at 5.17pm BST 5.15pm BST WICKET! Healy c Rana b Charani 142, Australia 265-4 India look like they’ve given this up. Very flat body language, Ahmedabad 2023 vibes. They still have six an over to defend, it’s not nothing. Shree Charani errs on the leg stump, and Gardner plays a swivel-sweep fine for four. And then finally, finally, the moment comes. Healy plays a slashing square drive. Sneh Rana at point gets under it with her fingertips, and plucks it up. There’ll be some discussion about that call, I’m sure. “I’ve got ball on the ground there,” was the third ump’s first comment, as the ball looks to dip after hitting Rana’s hands. Later the umpire says “I see fingers underneath it.” There is a sharp downward movement that makes it look like the ball hits the ground. Personally I reckon that Rana does have her fingertips under it, and then scoops it up from there. But it could easily be given the other way on another day. 5.08pm BST 38th over: Australia 258-3 (Healy 141, Gardner 33) Slog sweep from Healy… just over Mandhana’s head! She’s there at deep backward square, she thinks she’s in the game, jumping, ponytail flying, but the ball sails over. Sneh Rana goes wider outside off, but Healy is still able to pick up the next ball over midwicket, one bounce skimming off the grass into the gap there for four. Healy currently has the 15th highest score in a Women’s World Cup, going up the rankings quickly. 5.04pm BST 37th over: Australia 245-3 (Healy 131, Gardner 31) Finally some runs come from Charani, into her ninth over. Healy hasn’t played a reverse yet, I don’t think. Litchfield did, to her detriment, and Perry did, with memorable uniqueness. Healy now goes that way, and the ball bounces unexpectedly, but her eye is sufficiently adjusted that she’s still able to collar it from outside off stump through deep third for four. After that she lines up Radha Yadav, substituting at short cover, and nearly takes her out with a cut shot that bounces in front of the fielder. Five off the over. They need 6 and a half. Harmanpreet has her thundercloud face back on, the same as when Nadine de Klerk was going nuts the other night. 5.00pm BST 36th over: Australia 240-3 (Healy 127, Gardner 31) Healy just keeps finding that boundary! So often it’s one per over, and it’s the same again here: advancing at Rana, a lofted clip off the pads, straight of the deep midwicket, into that pocket again where it finds the sponge. This is the most controlled innings I’ve ever seen her play. 4.57pm BST 35th over: Australia 233-3 (Healy 122, Gardner 30) Down leg from Deepti, and Gardner can tickle it fine. Then Gardner makes another bad ball hard for herself: charges at a full toss, which would have been juicy had she stayed still, but in the end it’s too high for her to hit with any power on the move. Down to long on for one. 4.52pm BST 34th over: Australia 226-3 (Healy 121, Gardner 24) Double seam, Amanjot returns to complement Kranti. Gardner pulls a couple, then cuts four! There’s a sweeper there for the shot but she hits it so far in front of point, really through extra cover in the end, and has the muscle to get past Kranti sliding on her belly across the turf. Seven from the over, which is what Australia need, with a single, then Amanjot bowls a wide. So that’s eight runs, and Healy gets another ball, that she pulls for four. Slower ball, sits up, hit behind square. Make that a dozen from the over. Healy has the highest score at this World Cup. Currently 30th at all women’s World Cups. 4.46pm BST 33rd over: Australia 214-3 (Healy 117, Gardner 17) Kranti Gaud returns. India need her to rally after being whacked earlier, and she does… for five balls. Gets a bit lucky to be honest, a couple of pull shots belted but at fielders, thus only scoring one. But the last of the over does not have that fortune, as Healy finds the gap at straight midwicket for four. The bowler has been pulled far too often today, by a player who has that as one of her favourite shots. 4.44pm BST 32nd over: Australia 205-3 (Healy 111, Gardner 14) Shree Charani is keeping India in this. 8 overs, 2 for 29 so far, as she gets through another over conceding three runs. Every time Australia have a big over, they get pegged back to follow. 4.38pm BST Century! Alyssa Healy 100 from 84 balls 31st over: Australia 202-3 (Healy 110, Gardner 12) Healy is playing an absolute blinder! Reaches her hundred against Sneh Rana, first kneeling to swat a sweep shot through midwicket for four, then driving the single for her century. Her first in ODIs as captain. Not content with that, she gets the strike back, does the grapevine down the wicket, hits a clean cover drive over the field for four, then ends the over with a smashed wristy step-hit over deep midwicket for six. The snap of her wrists was so pure there, all that power as she flicks the bat across her front pad and deposits this. That’s 16 from the over, meaning the required rate is 6.79 from here and the current rate is just below that. Drinks. 4.30pm BST 30th over: Australia 186-3 (Healy 95, Gardner 11) Wheeeew, and Gardner opens that pressure valve slightly. Charani bowled a good over, until the end of it. There’s not much flight on the final ball, but enough time for Gardner to shuffle out of her ground and hit a clean swing straight down the ground for six. 4.28pm BST 29th over: Australia 176-3 (Healy 93, Gardner 3) The screw tightens one more quarter-turn. Two runs from Deepti’s over, Gardner not game to try anything yet, Healy cautious when she comes onto strike. 4.23pm BST 28th over: Australia 174-3 (Healy 92, Gardner 2) Even more riding on Healy now, who has to keep the score going, not get distracted by her hundred, and allow Gardner time to settle as a vitally dangerous ball-striker. They need Gardner deep into this innings, they can’t afford to have her get out now. Four singles after the wicket, and the required rate is suddenly up at 7.1. 4.20pm BST WICKET! Sutherland b Charani 0, Australia 170-3 Bowled! Up the order, down the pipe. Sutherland walks at Shree Charani, gets lost, and doesn’t have a map to get back. The left-arm ortho spins the ball across the batter, whose poke in the direction of mid on is nowhere near the line of the ball, while her feet are nowhere near the pitch of it. It spins past her and into the top of her middle stump. 4.19pm BST 27th over: Australia 170-2 (Healy 90, Sutherland 0) Quite the over. Sutherland gets off strike with an extra run after a fumbled wide, then Healy doesn’t score from Deepti’s last three balls. A wicket in the chase almost always slows things down. 4.15pm BST WICKET! Mooney c Rodrigues b Deepti 4, Australia 168-2 Well well well! India didn’t get Perry’s wicket, but Perry’s retirement has brought them Mooney’s wicket. Australia’s most important batter is gone. The left-hander gets a ball from over the wicket, right arm. Tries to make room and go over cover, or through cover, but ends up halfway between the two: catchable height, but it still takes anticipation and a dive from Rodrigues to cling onto a stunner. Great fielding. 4.14pm BST 26th over: Australia 168-1 (Healy 90, Mooney 4) Misfield at point allows Mooney a single. Harmanpreet the captain won’t be happy, because she’s also Harmanpreet the bowler. Using herself as the sixth option, most likely to give some flexibility to not bowl Kranti Gaud as much at the back end. But it doesn’t go much better than some of the seam bowler’s overs, as Healy works the pockets: one shot punched into the midwicket gap, the other over cover from a line wide of off stump. Two fours, 10 from the over, and the required rate of 6.8 an over is marginally ahead of the current rate. Still a lot of work to do. 4.10pm BST 25th over: Australia 157-1 (Healy 81, Mooney 2) So India get the advantage of having a new batter starting an innings, despite not taking a wicket. Beth Mooney takes four balls to get off the mark, meaning that Deepti’s over only costs three singles. 4.06pm BST Perry comes off injured This is big news. That last ball of the over, Perry stepped into a drive and took a single, but it looked like her spikes jammed in the pitch when she put her front foot down, and that somehow caused a muscle twinge. Calf or hamstring, not sure? She speaks to the physio, then the umpire. Looks like this is precautionary more than essential, but she’s decided to come off and let Mooney replace her, though Perry can come back at the fall of a wicket if she wants. 4.05pm BST 24th over: Australia 154-1 (Healy 80, Perry 32) Charani keeps the lid on things, though Australia pick up a few singles and a leg bye to at least get something from the over. 4.03pm BST 23rd over: Australia 149-1 (Healy 78, Perry 30) Healy makes up some ground after that last over. Lovely timing on the standing paddle sweep to send away a ball outside her heel, four through fine leg, then plays another of those swatting pull shots to whack Deepti over midwicket to the fence. Her score is mounting, and this too after 49 overs of wicketkeeping and captaincy in the heat. 3.57pm BST 22nd over: Australia 141-1 (Healy 70, Perry 30) Got to tie Perry down to force a mistake, tie Perry down to make Healy twitchy. India can send that required rate northwards quickly with some quiet overs and a wicket. Charani takes the first step, bowling a maiden to Perry, who finds the field several times. 3.56pm BST 21st over: Australia 141-1 (Healy 70, Perry 30) They keep finding at least one boundary in most overs. Third time today, Rana is smacked from her sixth ball. This time it’s Healy and a sweep shot doing the damage. The run rate is about level with the required rate at 6.5 right now. 3.53pm BST 20th over: Australia 132-1 (Healy 64, Perry 27) Lovely shot from Perry, square drive behind point for four! Splits the fielders to take more runs from Kranti Gaud, who is 0 for 45 from six overs. 3.52pm BST 19th over: Australia 125-1 (Healy 63, Perry 21) Sneh Rana to continue. The reverse got Litchfield out, but Perry gets away with it, using an unorthodox method. She’s deliberately reversed that with the back of the bat. Shapes to go down to sweep, sees the line, decides to reverse, but doesn’t try to rotate the bat face around, just goes with the other side instead and gets it away for four. Healy finds another boundary too, her option being a cut through cover. Rana going at a run a ball from four overs. 3.48pm BST 18th over: Australia 116-1 (Healy 59, Perry 16) Kranti Gaud comes back to bowl with an older ball, having been belted by Healy with the newer one. She’s still bowling on the short side, but only gives up five singles to a series of pull shots, mostly. 3.39pm BST 17th over: Australia 111-1 (Healy 57, Perry 13) Almost a run out! Clipped to midwicket, Perry is wanting to sprint from the non-striker’s end, Healy sends her back. Hits the reverse thrusters, gets moving in the other direction, and like a cat in the morning, it takes a big stretch for Perry to make her ground. Just. That wakes her up, and when she gets strike she lofts a drive inside-out over cover from Deepti for four. 3.37pm BST 16th over: Australia 105-1 (Healy 56, Perry 8) A couple more runs via the cover drive for Healy, starting off a Charani over that yields five. Perry is just knocking singles in these early stages, as these two will look to settle into their historical mode of fire and ice. Updated at 3.39pm BST 3.35pm BST 15th over: Australia 100-1 (Healy 52, Perry 7) Three runs from Deepti’s over, as Healy winds up and plays a huge shot that she nicks into her pad. Often a danger zone for Healy once she registers a fast fifty, as she gets into the mode of wanting to hit everything… 3.28pm BST Half century! Alyssa Healy 50 from 35 balls 14th over: Australia 97-1 (Healy 50, Perry 6) A slow over from Charani but still a fast start for Australia, with Healy raising the fastest 50 of the tournament so far. Needs to press on though and keep Australia ahead of the rate, not hole out. 3.26pm BST 13th over: Australia 95-1 (Healy 49, Perry 5) Deepti Sharma on to bowl her off-breaks, but the runs keep coming for Australia. A short ball that Healy cuts, a straight ball that Perry nicks past the keeper very fine. 10 from the over. 3.18pm BST 12th over: Australia 85-1 (Healy 44, Perry 0) Finally, some Indian sand in the Australian gears. One run plus the wicket from the over. 3.17pm BST WICKET! Litchfield c Rana b Charani 40, Australia 85-1 The horns go wild. Big local crowd here for this game, relatively speaking. The left-arm spinner Shree Charani is the bowling change, and her second ball does the job. Again Litchfield with the reverse, a shot that often looks her least convincing. She middles it but straight at backward point, where Sneh Rana takes a self-preservation catch, jerking her head backwards as she reverse-cups the ball. Updated at 3.30pm BST 3.14pm BST 11th over: Australia 84-0 (Healy 43, Litchfield 40) Sneh Rana gets through an over without the late boundary this time, instead using up a review for an lbw shout that is close on line but Healy has inside edged it. Fired that ball in faster after bowling some very slow stuff, including one that beat Litchfield’s reverse sweep. They need 6.3 an over from here, and are going at 7.6. 3.12pm BST 10th over: Australia 82-0 (Healy 42, Litchfield 39) Now it’s Litchfield’s turn to go on a streak. First ball of Amanjot’s over, the batter jumps across to the off stump and scoops for four. Next ball, stays back and slots it like Healy, a pull to a length ball, over midwicket flat as you like. Third ball, steps to leg and carves through point! Not far from the catcher, but four. Fourth ball, missed stumping! Oh no. Slower ball, a big loopy one, and it does Litchfield in the air, having galloped down at it. Dips and beats the bat, but it hits Richa’s gloves and bounces off, and the keeper falls into the stumps lunging forward to try to claim the rebound. A disappointed Amanjot goes back to her mark, then comes in and bowls a full ball, right in the slot. Driven dead straight for four. Then a single to keep strike., That’s 17 from the over, and 82 from the Powerplay, where India made 58. 3.06pm BST 9th over: Australia 65-0 (Healy 42, Litchfield 22) And again, Australia get the escape late, after five good balls from Sneh Rana. She’s teasing Healy on the outside edge, beating the attempted glide. But Healy takes the risk from the final ball and gets away with it, down the pitch to lift the ball over cover – not by much, but enough. Four runs. 3.01pm BST 8th over: Australia 60-0 (Healy 38, Litchfield 21) Healy is inspired by that last-ball six. First ball of the next over, she hits six herself. A length ball really, but Healy is short enough to get under it with a quasi-pull, and strong enough to muscle that shot flat over long on. That’s some effort. Second ball of the over, Kranti bowls length again and it’s smeared through midwicket for four. Third ball, same dose! Pressure on now. Kranti goes to the short ball, but it’s called wide. And the replacement delivery? Driven through cover for four! The bowler manages to get out of the over with two dot balls, but it has still cost 19 runs. Current run rate now at 7.3, and the required rate down at 6.5. What a difference one over can make. 2.55pm BST 7th over: Australia 41-0 (Healy 20, Litchfield 21) A final flourish from Litchfield! India bring on Sneh Rana’s off spin in the hope of turning the ball away from the left-hander. It’s almost a quiet over. It almost dulls the rate. But from the last ball, Litchfield skips down and drives with the turn over cover for six. Updated at 3.00pm BST 2.50pm BST 6th over: Australia 33-0 (Healy 19, Litchfield 14) Crashed by Healy! Such power in that cut shot, as Kranti Gaud bowls wide outside off. There’s a sweeper at cover point only a few metres from the line of that ball, but it travels so quickly that it’s already past her as she sails futilely into view with an outstretched hand. India were 23-0 at this point. The required rate is approaching 7 per over, the current rate is 5.5. 2.45pm BST 5th over: Australia 25-0 (Healy 12, Litchfield 13) Two drops by Amanjot: drops short (and punished on the pull) then drops the return catch from a fuller ball. Tough to count that one, it must be said: it dips as it approaches the bowler after Healy drives it straight, and it just gets the fingertips and then back past Amanjot for another four runs. 2.42pm BST 4th over: Australia 16-0 (Healy 4, Litchfield 12) Now Kranti gets the ball to deck, again away from the left-hander and this is even closer to the edge. A wince from the bowler, then a smile. Litchfield plays cautiously, even leaves a ball. Six dots in a row! A rare ODI feat. 2.37pm BST 3rd over: Australia 16-0 (Healy 4, Litchfield 12) Another lovely shot through point from Litchfield but it goes squarer to the boundary rider. Healy tucks into the leg side. A little bit going on for the seamers with the new ball! Amanjot gets the rudder in position and decks it away from Litchfield a touch, beating the young lefty on the walk. 2.34pm BST 2nd over: Australia 13-0 (Healy 3, Litchfield 10) Much streakier for Litchfield’s second boundary! Chases a line outside off stump from Kranti Gaud and nicks the ball between slip and backward point. Australia up with the asking rate after two overs. 2.32pm BST 1st over: Australia 7-0 (Healy 2, Litchfield 5) So a big task for Australia ahead, but this pitch is a belter. Litchfield makes use of that second ball! A single for Healy gives Litchfield the strike, and the left-hander gets width from the seamer Amanjot around the wicket. Chases it and carves a boundary behind point, just past the fielder along the carpet but it flies so fast that there’s no stopping it. 2.17pm BST Well, it’s been a delight leading you through the first innings of this very exciting match, but it’s time for me to say good night. Of course, for a blockbuster match like this I couldn’t leave you in any hands but the best, so you’ve got Geoff Lemon to take you through to the end of this match. Enjoy and may cricket be the winner on the day! 2.12pm BST There has naturally been a lot of chat during this match about the 2017 World Cup semi final, which is such a key moment in Indian women’s cricket lore, with Harmanpreet Kaur smashing a match-winning 171* to beat the defending champions and make it to the final. What a game that was, with a sensational 90 off 56 from Alex Blackwell nearly saving the day for Australia, but a well-deserved win from India in the end. It’s worth going back and checking out the highlights from that game (or even reading Alex Blackwell’s book Fair Game if you like – full disclosure, I was the co-author of that book, but she tells a great story about the game!) 2.06pm BST India sets Australia 331 for victory A brilliant start from India saw the openers set a fantastic platform, rattling Australia’s bowlers for the first time this tournament. There was a lot of scrambling bowling changes to try to get the breakthrough, but finally it came through Molineux, who had been struggling to that point. Smriti Mandhana was the top scorer for India with 80 and fellow opener Pratika Rawal wasn’t far behind on 75. But key contributions from Deol (33), Jemimah (33) and Richa (32) helped to build India’s momentum through the innings and ensured there wasn’t a batting collapse after the openers fell. They will rue some missed opportunities, but they have managed to set a challenging total, which they are very capable of defending. Australia had a mixed day with the ball – Sutherland was certainly their best, finishing with figures of 5-40 from her 9.5 overs. Molineux took three wickets, but leaked 75 runs from her 10 overs. Aside from Sutherland, all the bowlers were fairly expensive at different points and had to constantly readjust to try to dry up the runs. This match is poised deliciously and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for us in Australia’s batting innings! 1.55pm BST WICKET! Charani b Sutherland 0 (India 330) Sutherland doesn’t manage the birthday hat trick, but she does get the birthday five-for and ends India’s innings an over early. She bowls full and straight to the number 11 to get the first and only bowled wicket of the day. 1.53pm BST WICKET! Gaud c Wareham (sub) b Sutherland 1 (India 330-9) Gaud does her best to go after Sutherland and at least get off strike, but she can only lob an easy catch into Wareham’s hands. 1.49pm BST 48th over: India 329-8 (Gaud 1, Rana 7) Gardner starts the over by missing both her line and length and Rana delightedly paddles it for four. Gardner tries to adjust, but it’s ruled a wide. She then hits her length perfectly, but Wareham drops a simple catch. But it’s not an issue for long, as next ball Gardner gets Amanjot. 1.48pm BST WICKET! Amanjot c Molineux b Gardner 16 (India 327-8) These wickets are falling all around them now. Gardner catches Amajot’s outside edge and it flies into Molineux’s hands on the inner circle. 1.45pm BST 47th over: India 321-7 (Amanjot 16, Rana 1) Molineux’s final over of the game and Amanjot starts it with a very nice drive through the covers for four. Molineux adjusts her length on the next ball, but continues to target the stumps. The batters take a risky single, but dart through quickly enough. Deepti tries to up the run rate, but only succeeds in losing her wicket. Australia are starting to get on top here, but India have built a good score already. 1.44pm BST WICKET! Deepti c Mooney b Molineux 1 (India 320-7) Deepti goes after it, but she can’t quite get it out of the middle of her bat and it lands in Mooney’s hands a few metres in from the boundary. 1.41pm BST 46th over: India 315-6 (Amanjot 11, Deepti 1) Gardner is back onto the attack and Deepti is on strike, looking to get off the mark, which she does cutting for a single. It’s a good over from Gardner, not leaking too many runs. 1.37pm BST 45th over: India 310-6 (Amanjot 7, Deepti 0) Birthday girl Sutherland continues her spell, she has been the pick of the bowlers today, certainly the most consistent, as well as getting a couple of key wickets. Jemimah and Amanjot focus on rotating the strike, knowing that Sutherland is difficult to score big runs against. Though no sooner do I type that than Jemimah picks the ball out of Sutherland’s hand, sets up early and scoops it for four. But Sutherland hasn’t finished toying with her and bowls her slower, wider ball next, bringing about Jemimah’s demise. Sutherland tries the slower ball again, but only succeeds in bowling a wide. There’s an appeal for a caught behind on the last ball of the over, but the third umpire rules it has hit the ground before bouncing into Healy’s gloves. Updated at 1.39pm BST 1.35pm BST WICKET! Jemimah c Mooney b Sutherland 33 (India 309-6) A great cameo from Jemimah, but unfortunately it must come to an end. Sutherland lures her in with the slower ball that’s a little bit wider, Jemimah reaches for it and sends it flying straight into Mooney’s hamds. 1.31pm BST 44th over: India 302-5 (Amanjot 7, Jemimah 28) Expect some quick running now, with these two speedsters at the crease, they’ll be looking to turn ones into twos. There’s no messing around at this stage of the innings and they’re pushing the ball around the field and taking runs wherever they can find them. They bring up the 300 for India. 1.29pm BST 43rd over: India 294-5 (Amanjot 0, Jemimah 28) Sutherland returns to the attack to try to slow down this scoring rate, starting with a short ball. Jemimah plays it well for just a single, but next ball Richa pulls it for four to bring up the 50 partnership for these two. But she can’t resist going after one more ball and loses her wicket. 1.28pm BST WICKET! Richa c Wareham (sub) b Sutherland 32 (India 294-5) An entertaining knock from Richa comes to an end, she falls into Sutherland’s trap and goes after one that she probably should have played more cautiously and Wareham takes an easy catch. 1.22pm BST 42nd over: India 287-4 (Richa 27, Jemimah 25) Molineux is back for her first over since that wicket maiden. Jemimah gets in position early and reverse sweeps past third for four. It’s been a very mixed bag of a day from Molineux, with two key wickets, but also being hit for quite a lot of runs. 1.19pm BST 41st over: India 276-4 (Richa 22, Jemimah 19) Schutt starts the over with a dot to Jemimah and then there’s a bit of a pause and Schutt leaves the field with the Australian team fielder. McGrath comes on to finish Schutt’s over and Wareham comes on as the substitute fielder. It looks like a chance from McGrath’s first ball, but she chips it over Gardner’s head and finds clear space for the ball to glide over the boundary. McGrath can’t quite find her line here and Richa is delighted to be served up consecutive two balls that she can send to the boundary – one for six down the ground and the second for a four, pulled over to the legside. 1.13pm BST 40th over: India 261-4 (Richa 12, Jemimah 14) A bowling change now with King coming back into the attack. A nice sweep from Jemimah gets the over started, but she can’t quite get underneath it to send it all the way to the boundary and she has to settle for a single. King tries to get Richa reaching for a wider ball, but the umpire says it’s too wide and she’ll have to rebowl it. Richa hits her first six with a very assured sweep that goes flying well above Perry’s head on the boundary. 1.08pm BST 39th over: India 250-4 (Richa 3, Jemimah 13) Jemimah immediately puts pressure on the fielders, with a quick cut shot for a single, but a misfield gives them a second run and then a wide throw at the stumps means they can run three. A very assured start to Jemimah’s innings – she has a role to play here and she knows exactly how she wants to go about it. Richa nearly loses her wicket with a mistimed shot, but it sails past a diving Litchfield. It’s not looking as smooth and free-flowing for India as it was early, but there is plenty of intent with these two at the crease and they are picking up some good runs. 1.03pm BST 38th over: India 240-4 (Richa 0, Jemimah 6) Molineux resumes to Deol and gets the breakthrough on the second ball of the over. Richa comes to the crease and Australia now have a good opportunity to build their momentum with two new batters at the crease and India forced to rebuild. A wicket maiden from Molineux and a great recovery from her. 1.02pm BST WICKET! Deol c Sutherland b Molineux 38 (India 240-4) Deol dances down the pitch to go after Molineux, but she mistimes the shot and slices it straight up in the air, where Sutherland is waiting to take a simple catch. 1.00pm BST 37th over: India 240-3 (Deol 38, Jemimah 6) Schutt starts her over with a short ball, which beats Deol’s bat. It flies through Healy’s gloves into her stomach and looks to have winded her a little, but she assures her teammates she’s fine to continue. The wicket of Kaur certainly lifts her spirits and makes her forget about the pain. Jemimah strides out to the crease and gets off the mark with a very confident four. 12.58pm BST WICKET! Kaur c Molineux b Schutt 22 (India 234-3) Just as Kaur is on a roll, the Australians set her up and get her cutting right into Molineux’s waiting hands. They are very happy with that one, it’s a key breakthrough. 12.54pm BST 36th over: India 233-2 (Deol 37, Kaur 22) Kaur apologises to Deol for that spray, which is nice to see from the captain. Molineux is back into the attack, so she’ll be pleased Kaur has recovered from that burst of anger. Molineux had a long conversation with Gardner before starting this over. There seems to be a little bit of re-evaluating the bowling plans happening on the fly with this strong Indian batting. Molineux sets a trap and gets Kaur to go after it – she mistimes and slices it up in the air, but flies just over McGrath’s head at long on. 12.50pm BST 35th over: India 228-2 (Deol 35, Kaur 19) Schutt’s warm up antics worked and she’s back to bowl her fourth over, after opening the bowling with Garth. She’ll be looking for swing here and to lure the batters into a trap with her slower balls. There’s some confusion between the batters, Kaur looks for a little drop and run, Deol sends her back and Kaur reacts angrily, sending a spray Deol’s way. Unfortunately for Schutt, Kaur takes that anger out on her with two consecutive fours. 12.46pm BST 34th over: India 218-2 (Deol 34, Kaur 10) King’s fifth over of the match now, she has looked strong so far – can she take a wicket here to get a bit of ascendancy back for Australia? Schutt is vigorously warming up in the background, so she’s either coming back to bowl soon, or she’s aggressively suggesting to Healy that she should be. Deol brings out her sweep shot and splits the field for a four to keep the score ticking over. 12.39pm BST 33rd over: India 210-2 (Deol 28, Kaur 8) Kaur picks up a quick single to start Sutherland’s seventh over. Sutherland bowls a nice short ball to Deol, which she ducks under. She follows it up with a full toss, but Deol can’t take advantage of it and can just keep it out. Another tight over from Sutherland. Drinks are on the field. 12.35pm BST 32nd over: India 208-2 (Deol 27, Kaur 7) Healy is having a few chats with the umpires – first one and then the other. Maybe she doesn’t like the answer she gets the first time? She appears to be asking about the wides that were called on Sutherland that were just slightly down the legside and is maybe saying that the batter is moving in the crease. King continues her spell and Deol goes for a little lap shot but changes her mind as the ball gets closer and gives it more of a traditional sweep to find the fine leg boundary. Kaur then gets her first boundary with a strong straight drive back past King. 12.32pm BST 31st over: India 197-2 (Deol 22, Kaur 1) A perfect start to the over from Sutherland – the crowd roars as Pratika plays her pull shot and then it’s as if someone hits the mute button as it falls into Perry’s hands. There’s nothing quite like the silence of a huge Indian crowd, I find it so fascinating. A typically tight over from Sutherland follows, just pushing one down leg side for a wide late in the over, but when she bowls it again, the same thing happens again. Healy tries a little celebrappeal to trick the umpires into not giving it a wide, but they’re not so easily fooled. Updated at 12.36pm BST 12.28pm BST WICKET! Pratika c Perry b Sutherland 75 (India 192-2) Sutherland has bowled so well today and she is rewarded at last with the big wicket of Pratika. Perry takes a nice catch on the boundary at deep backward square. 12.26pm BST 30th over: India 192-1 (Deol 20, Pratika 75) King resumes and there’s another near run out, as the batters nearly collide. A better throw would have broken the partnership, but Mooney rushes it and Healy can’t pick it up. Gardner attempts a diving catch and misses a tough attempt for the second time this match, the Litchfield almost gets to one on the dive as well – you can’t look away from this game for a second! 12.23pm BST 29th over: India 183-1 (Deol 14, Pratika 73) Sutherland returns to the attack after a strong opening spell. She starts this over very well, with three dots before Deol gets off strike with a single. There’s nearly a run out chance when Pratika looks for a little drop and run and starts down the pitch, only to see Deol still standing at the non-striker’s end. She gets back safely and then a good ball sneaks past Healy and hits her helmet, meaning India pick up five penalty runs. 12.18pm BST 28th over: India 177-1 (Deol 13, Pratika 73) King’s second over now and the batters are paying her a lot of respect. They appear to be looking more for singles and opportunities to turn the strike over than the aggression they were showing against Molineux. Pratika finds the boundary, but it’s through a streaky edge, rather than a decisive shot. 12.14pm BST 27th over: India 171-1 (Deol 12, Pratika 68) Molineux nearly picks up a second wicket that looks exactly the same as the first, but the ball falls safely this time. India have lost some of their momentum after that wicket, but they turn the strike over consistently to start the over and are rewarded when Deol finds a ball she likes and drives it straight down the ground for six. 12.11pm BST 26th over: India 156-1 (Deol 4, Pratika 65) At last, we have King coming into the attack! Deol quickly gets herself off strike, which is exactly what I would do if I had to face King. She’s getting some great turn out of this pitch and making it quite uncomfortable for the batters. Pratika finishes the over with a bit of aggression, clearing the infield and running two. 12.08pm BST 25th over: India 156-1 (Deol 1, Pratika 63) Interesting decision here from Healy, giving Molineux another over. However, it turns out to be a good decision, with the key wicket of Smriti to break the opening partnership. Deol starts her innings watchfully, with a couple of defensive shots, before getting off the mark with a single. 12.06pm BST WICKET! Smriti c Litchfield b Molineux 80 (India 155-1) Just when I was doubting Healy’s captaincy, she proves me wrong and Molineux gets the key breakthrough, luring Smriti into a false shot, that’s easily caught by Litchfield in the deep. Updated at 12.30pm BST 12.03pm BST 24th over: India 153-0 (Smriti 79, Pratika 63) Smriti smashes another one to start McGrath’s over – she doesn’t quite middle it, but it lands over the heads of two chasing Australian fielders. A couple of balls later, she smashes it to the boundary again. Perry is there to try to cut it off, but she’s pushed right up on the rope and can’t let go of the ball before grounding her foot over the line and it’s six. India bring up their 150 with a straight drive past McGrath for four from Smriti’s bat once again. 11.59am BST 23rd over: India 137-0 (Smriti 69, Pratika 58) This is the first time this tournament I’ve seen Australia really rattled in their bowling innings. Molineux is back for her second spell and her first ball is very wide, so wide that she’ll have to bowl it again. The second is marginally less wide and she gets away with a dot. Smriti finally gets one she can hit and she hits it all the way to the boundary. Molineux panics a bit and bowls another wide. It’s not her finest hour. I’m wondering if Healy has remembered Alana King is in the team? 11.53am BST 22nd over: India 128-0 (Smriti 63, Pratika 57) McGrath continues, but there’s an increasing confidence to the batters now and Pratika start with a boundary and then has some luck go her way with four leg byes. 11.51am BST 21st over: India 118-0 (Smriti 62, Pratika 52) Garth resumes her second spell, hoping for a breakthrough. Her first ball is very good, but on the second, Pratika brings up her 50 with a glorious straight drive down the ground – she holds the pose knowing there’s no need to run on that one. Pratika hasn’t been scoring at as fast a rate as Smriti, but she’s done her job in building a strong platform for her team. Smriti finishes the over with a swashbuckling six. 11.46am BST 20th over: India 107-0 (Smriti 56, Pratika 47) An email from Phil Withall as we begin McGrath’s second over. Evening Megan, This match is already interestingly poised. India have a quite confidence about them, comfortable in their ability to accumulate, to build pressure and add a psychological edge. Australia will, as always, back themselves. This will be a fascinating match, with an endless number of twists likely to unfold. Love it. Agreed Phil, it has been sensational to watch so far. The composure of these Indian openers has been a highlight – the Australian bowling has been good for the most part, they are just finding ways to score off the good balls and punishing the bad balls when they come. McGrath bowls a nice, tight over to give Australia a bit more of a foothold in the game. 11.43am BST 19th over: India 105-0 (Smriti 55, Pratika 46) Garth returns after a good opening spell and on the first ball, Smriti brings up her half-century for real this time and the crowd is overjoyed. She has gone at a decent pace, bringing up the 50 from 46 balls. Pratika wants to get in on the action as well, with a slog past deep mid wicket for four, followed by a single to bring up the 100 runs for India. Mandhana finishes with another four and single to keep the run rate climbing. Updated at 11.45am BST 11.39am BST 18th over: India 94-0 (Smriti 49, Pratika 41) We’re back from drinks and Tahlia McGrath is bowling her first over of the match – she hasn’t been used much as a bowler in recent times, but she certainly has the ability to bowl uncomfortable lengths and pick up wickets. There’s a huge cheer from the crowd when they think Smriti has reached her half-century, but the umpire rules a wide and that there was no bat on it, so they have to wait a little longer. McGrath creates a chance next ball, forcing Pratika to lob one up in the air. King sprints in and dives desperately, but can’t quite reach the ball before it drops. 11.30am BST 17th over: India 90-0 (Smriti 49, Pratika 40) Sutherland continues and even she is starting to get hit around a bit. However, she is bowling well to her field and while the batters are hitting good shots and finding space, they’re being cut off before the boundary. She swings momentum back in her favour with another one of those wider balls she’s been using so effectively. But then she straightens up again and Pratika is a ready for her and pulls it beautifully for four. Drinks are on the field now. 11.27am BST 16th over: India 82-0 (Smriti 47, Pratika 34) A long chat between Gardner and Healy before this over gets underway. The first ball to Smriti is hit uppishly, but it’s done with great control through the covers and flies to the boundary for four. Gardner tightens her line and is rewarded with a couple of dots balls, but then she bowls a very loose delivery that Smriti plays very late and gets through the covers (again) for a boundary (again). She’s looking very strong and in control here. 11.24am BST 15th over: India 73-0 (Smriti 38, Pratika 34) Pratika on strike to Sutherland and she works the first ball to fine leg – a good shot against a good ball. It’s the kind of moment that makes all the parents of both teams clap and say “good cricket everyone” when it happens in Under 11s. Sutherland is varying her line really nicely, mostly bowling straight, but every so often mixing it up with a wider ball. She’s keeping a nice, full length all the while, so it’s hard for the batters to get her away. 11.20am BST 14th over: India 71-0 (Smriti 37, Pratika 33) Gardner starts her fourth over and Smriti laps the first ball for four – some nice innovation there. Healy has a big appeal for caught behind, but Gardner doesn’t think Smriti has hit it and they don’t review. Which turns out to be a good decision, as we see on ultraedge that indeed it has missed the outside edge. 11.17am BST 13th over: India 65-0 (Smriti 32, Pratika 32) Sutherland continues her spell and her first ball is a very nice one, full and straight and Pratika can’t do anything but block it. She then varies her line and sends one a little wider, so Pratika has to reach for it. It’s smart bowling, setting herself up to take a wicket and building the dot ball pressure. She nearly gets the wicket, but Gardner comes in too far and mistimes her dive, meaning she misses the catch and the ball sails to the boundary. 11.14am BST 12th over: India 61-0 (Smriti 32, Pratika 28) Gardner comes on from the other end now, an aggressive move looking to pick up a wicket and break this partnership. She does a job in building up the dot ball pressure, but she can’t lure the batters into a trap just yet. 11.11am BST 11th over: India 60-0 (Smriti 32, Pratika 27) Sutherland comes on for her first over. It’s her birthday today – can she do a Peter Siddle and get a hat trick on her birthday? Her teammates will be hoping so. She throws in a short ball that looks quite nice, but the umpires rule it’s a wide so she’ll have to bowl it again. Aside from that, it’s a very nice start to the over from her, beating the bat consistently. She gives away a run through a Molinuex misfield, but overall it’s a very tight over, just those two runs from it. 11.06am BST 10th over: India 58-0 (Smriti 32, Pratika 26) Molineux starts her second over after a long chat with Healy, but Smriti again starts the over with a four, finding the gap and beating Sutherland to the boundary at deep point. Molineux finds a tighter line and adjusts the field to challenge Smriti to play more dangerously if she wants to score runs. That’s the end of the powerplay now. 11.03am BST 9th over: India 52-0 (Smriti 26, Pratika 26) Another over from Gardner and there’s a cry of “catch it” from the first two balls. The first is more of desperation than anything, but on the second, McGrath gets her fingertips to it in a diving effort, but can’t stop it going for four. Pratika then gets her first six of the match, driving down the field beautifully. 11.01am BST 8th over: India 42-0 (Smriti 26, Pratika 16) Spin from the other end as well with the left-arm orthodox Molineux coming on for her first over. Mandhana takes quite a liking to her and starts with a slog for four, followed up a couple of balls later playing the same shot for six. This is the first hint of aggression we’ve seen from the Indian openers and it’s quite a big hint! Smriti finishes the over with another four – definitely their most productive of the match so far! 10.56am BST 7th over: India 26-0 (Smriti 11, Pratika 15) We get our first over of spin, with Gardner here to bowl her right arm off spin. Smriti gets the first run of the over courtesy of an uncharacteristic misfield from Litchfield. But Gardner keeps up the pressure the Australian bowlers are building. 10.53am BST 6th over: India 23-0 (Smriti 9, Pratika 14) Pratika is piercing through the infield with relative ease at the moment, finding runs even when she can’t quite find the boundary. Schutt has such a look of disappointment on her face even when she only gives away a single – you can see how much this means to her to have a strong performance here. It’s a tight over from her, just the 2 runs from it. 10.50am BST 5th over: India 21-0 (Smriti 8, Pratika 13) Garth continues her spell and Smriti starts with a single that the crowd reacts to as if it was a match-winning boundary. Love this enthusiasm! They’re rewarded with a boundary next ball – Pratika gets her feet moving early and flicks one off her pads to send it sailing down to the toblerone. Garth tightens up her line and keeps the scoring to a minimum for the rest of the over. 10.46am BST 4th over: India 15-0 (Smriti 7, Pratika 8) Another over from Schutt, and Pratika starts it with a nice cover drive, but there’s a fielder to cut it off before it gets near the boundary and she has to settle for a single. Healy comes up to the stumps to put a bit more pressure on the batters, but Pratika isn’t bothered, she finds a gap between mid-on and mid-wicket for her first boundary of the match. 10.42am BST 3rd over: India 9-0 (Smriti 6, Pratika 3) The roar of the crowd is so intense every time the ball gets past the infield. If an Indian player hits a six, the place may well explode! Garth bowls her second over and she continues to hit that full, straight length. She varies it slightly with a wide ball almost creates a chance when she gets Pratika reaching and there’s some air under the ball, but it falls safely. Pratika gets off strike with a pull shot late in the over to give Smriti the last ball, but she just plays it defensively. 10.38am BST 2nd over: India 7-0 (Smriti 5, Pratika 2) Schutt bowls her first over of the match, with Pratika back on strike. The first ball is hit back past her, but there’s cover there and it’s just a dot. Schutt is bowling a very full length, that Pratika is defending comfortably, but she could easily become frustrated if she has to keep defending and can’t score runs. Eventually she find a gap and rotates the strike and Smriti also finds a single the following ball. 10.34am BST 1st over: India 5-0 (Smriti 4, Pratika 1) Garth opens the bowling for Australia, with Pratika taking strike to start the match. She thinks she might have snuck the first ball past the infield, but it’s saved by a diving Alana King. Garth starts with full, straight bowling, really targeting the stumps at the start of this game. Pratika gets off the mark with a back foot punch that flies towards the boundary, but is cut off for just a single. Smriti starts her innings watchfully with a couple of defensive shots. On the final ball of the over, Garth misses her line a little and Smriti drives one past point for four. 10.25am BST The teams are on the field now and national anthems are underway. Not long until the first ball is bowled. 10.24am BST Maddy has also sent an email, she is watching this match with plenty of anticipation! Evening Megan! Hope this is a ripper of a game tonight. Will be so very interesting to see how these teams match up. Such a relief the weather will let it play out. I think the biggest test for the Aussies will be if the top order can build good partnerships and avoid collapses. Especially important in front of a capacity crowd! 10.23am BST An email from Guy Hornsby has hit my inbox with the subject line Bring it on Great day for the game, and glad they’re not playing in my fog-bound Manchester. This should be fascinating. I think India are under the greater pressure here, as hosts with all the expectations that come with that. Australia are just so ridiculously talented that it’s hard to see them falling over again like they did against Pakistan, but this world cup seems to have reversed the periods where batting is easier, so it’s really close to call. I agree Guy, on paper you’d think Australia have got this one under control, but as we all know, cricket games aren’t played on paper. Anything could happen here and let’s hope lots of excitement does! 10.17am BST Key for both teams today will be the opening pair getting things off to a good start. None of the four openers in today’s game have racked up the kind of score they would have liked to have so far this tournament. They will be looking to create a strong platform rather than relying on relying on the middle order or the tail to save the day for them. 10.11am BST Just one change to the Australian team – as we suspected, Molineux has come into the XI for this match, with Wareham missing out. India meanwhile, are unchanged from their loss to South Africa, opting to back that team to turn things around and put on a match-winning performance. 10.09am BST India XI 1. Smriti Mandhana 2. Pratika Rawal 3. Harleen Deol 4. Harmanpreet Kaur (c) 5. Jemimah Rodrigues 6. Richa Ghosh (wk) 7. Deepti Sharma 8. Amanjot Kaur 9. Sneh Rana 10. Kranti Goud 11. Sree Charani 10.06am BST Australia XI 1. Alyssa Healy (c, wk) 2. Phoebe Litchfield 3. Ellyse Perry 4. Beth Mooney 5. Annabel Sutherland 6. Ash Gardner 7. Tahlia McGrath 8. Sophie Molineux 9. Alana King 10. Kim Garth 11. Megan Schutt 10.04am BST Australia won the toss and elected to bowl Alyssa Healy was very quick to say they would bowl here, it was clearly a toss they really wanted to win. She cited the dewy conditions as the main reason for the decision. Updated at 11.18am BST 9.57am BST A reminder that you can email me any thoughts on the game, predictions for the tournament, or particularly compelling conspiracy theories and I will do my best to share them with the OBO family following along around the world. You can find the link at the top of the page. 9.55am BST If you’re keen to catch up on Australia’s last game before this one begins, you can re-live Beth Mooney’s rescue mission here: Related: Beth Mooney century rescues Australia before bowlers see off Pakistan at Women’s Cricket World Cup 9.51am BST I’m hearing from the ground that it’s a beautiful, sunny day in Visakhapatnam, so no fears of a repeat of the Sri Lanka game for the Australians. Sophie Molineux has also been spotted warming up, so it looks like she will come into the match day squad. The toss is imminent, so we’ll have full team lists for you before too long! 9.47am BST Preamble Hello and welcome to a huge game in this Cricket World Cup! The as-yet undefeated Australia against tournament hosts India – this has been a highly anticipated clash. While both teams probably should have sailed through fairly well unchallenged so far, it hasn’t been the smoothest start for either team. While Australia haven’t yet lost a game, a washout against Sri Lanka has proved frustrating for their ladder position. They also suffered a fairly serious batting collapse against Pakistan and if it wasn’t for Beth Mooney – ably assisted by Alana King – they may have been dealt a huge upset defeat. Meanwhile, India were defeated by South Africa on Thursday, bowled out in the final over for 251, took some early wickets to put themselves back in the game and then watched on in despair as as steady 70 from Laura Wolvaardt and a flamboyant 84 from Nadine de Klerk dragged South Africa over the line. It was a tough blow for India, who would have been expecting the win after seeing South Africa all out for 69 against England in their opening match. So there is a sense of desperation in this match for both teams. Australia will want to put their batting woes behind them and do everything they can to claw back a position at the top of the ladder after their washout. And India will be pushing for a win to reassert their dominance in front of a home crowd. Speaking of the crowd, it is apparently a sell out today at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium, so expect some very vocal support when India scores runs or takes a wicket and the kind of silence you didn’t think possible from a crowd of people that large when Australia counters. It’s sure to be a fascinating match, so let’s get into it!