Captain Tahlia Wilson made 79, and fifties from Anika Learoyd and Charli Knott carried Australia A to a two-wicket win over India A in the second unofficial women’s ODI in Mohali on Wednesday. The result leveled the three-match series 1-1.
Bhatia’s century sets up a 339-run target
India A, leading the series 1-0, chose to bat first and built a total that looked well beyond Australia A’s reach for long stretches. Priya Punia and Tanisha Singh gave the innings a fast start, putting on 58 runs for the first wicket before Yastika Bhatia took charge.
Bhatia added 60 with Tanisha for the second wicket, then shared a 124-run stand with Tejal Hasabnis that pushed India A past 240. She reached fifty off 45 balls and kept accelerating; two fours off Charli Knott took India A past 200, and two more fours plus a six in Knott’s next over brought up her century in 79 balls.
Bhatia finished with 112 off 84 balls, hitting 16 fours and two sixes, before falling in the 36th over. Anushka Sharma then took over, finishing unbeaten on 60 off 46 balls to lift India A to 338 for 6. Darcie Brown picked up 3 for 39 for Australia A, and Milly Illingworth returned figures of 2 for 44.
Learoyd and Wilson laid the base for the chase
Australia A lost Nicole Faltum early, with the score at 34 for 1, but Learoyd responded with an aggressive innings that shifted the momentum. She put on 76 runs for the second wicket alongside Wilson, striking nine fours and two sixes before being stumped off Minnu Mani for 54 from just 29 balls.
Wilson and Knott kept the required rate under control after that, adding 92 runs for the third wicket in 10.3 overs and taking Australia A past 200 inside 25 overs. Knott made 63 off 37 balls, while Wilson’s innings of 79 came off 77 deliveries and included eight fours. With the required run rate sitting below six an over at that stage, Australia A looked firmly in control of the chase.
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Mani’s strikes stall the chase before Illingworth finishes it off
India A hit back through Minnu Mani, who removed both Wilson and Knott in quick succession, while Vaishnavi Sharma accounted for Katie Mack. Australia A slipped from 202 for 2 to 219 for 5, and the chase suddenly looked tighter than expected.
Tess Flintoff and Hayley Silver-Holmes steadied things with a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket, keeping Australia A ahead of the required rate. Another brief collapse followed later in the innings, but Milly Illingworth stayed unbeaten on 22 off 14 balls and guided Australia A to 341 for 8, sealing the win with three balls remaining. Mani finished with figures of 3 for 48, the most economical among India A’s bowlers on the day.
The win squares the series at 1-1 heading into the final unofficial ODI, with both sides having now posted a win each in Mohali. India A will look to Bhatia’s form with the bat, while Australia A will draw confidence from their middle-order depth in a successful run chase against a total in excess of 330.
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