New Chandigarh, Sep 17 (IANS) After India romped to an emphatic 102-run win over Australia to level the three-match ODI series 1-1, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who scored a sublime 117 off 91 balls, expressed relief at getting a century against Australia, finally coming in a winning cause.

At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, India registered their first home ODI victory over Australia since 2007 with a comprehensive victory and handed the world champions their heaviest defeat in the format. It’s set the stage for the series decider in New Delhi, to be held on Saturday.

Smriti’s century came off just 77 balls, making it the second-fastest hundred by an Indian woman in ODIs and her third ton against Australia. “The last two hundred runs that I got against Australia were in a losing cause, so I’m happy we won the match today. Game plan was simple — to make use of the Power-play and then try and build an innings, and if it was in my slot, to go after it,” she said after receiving the Player of the Match award.

Asked if India was targeting an above-par score, Smriti said, “It depends on the conditions and who we play. You know the Australian team, and you need to get 280-290 so our bowlers get that extra cushion. The wicket is really flat, so I had to be aggressive. Throughout the World Cup as well, there wouldn’t be one game where I won’t be aggressive, but it will depend on the conditions.”

She also had some words of praise for her opening partner, Pratika Rawal. “We complement each other well. She is calm and composed. I am also that way. We do not complicate stuff. It is going well and hopefully it keeps going well.”

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur lauded the team’s discipline and clarity in execution, especially from Smriti and the six bowling options. “We are happy that we played good cricket – that is what we discussed in the last team meeting, to stick to our plans and keep doing those things again and again. We talk about keeping things simple and clear, and that is something that always works for us.”

“We kept things simple and clear today as well, and that gives us breakthroughs whenever we need. And we want to keep doing that again and again. We got runs from Smriti, but none of us scored runs; still, we were able to get to 300. That is something we talk about – keep batting, and now we have depth in our batting.”

Despite a few dropped catches, Harmanpreet credited the bowlers for creating repeated opportunities for breakthroughs. Today, we also missed a few chances, but our bowlers kept giving us chances so that we could capitalise and keep the result in our favour.”

“This series is where we want to give a chance to each and every one. That is something we kept in our mind – to try a few combinations, and we are happy with today’s combination. Happy everyone took responsibility and contributed,” she added.

Australia captain Alyssa Healy admitted her side was outplayed. “Good preparation for the World Cup. You don’t get to choose every time. They (India) were pretty good in all facets of the game, and we) probably got a little outplayed. I thought we did well to hold them back. Thought they were on track for over 300.”

She also lauded India for its astute planning with the ball and on the field. “They bowled really well with the new ball, and we did not get off to the start we wanted to. They bowled straight with straight fields and changed their pace. Some great learnings for us, good to have these opportunities heading into do-or-die World Cups.”

Seam-bowling all-rounder Arundhati Reddy, who took a key wicket and held three catches, highlighted the team’s preparation and energy in bouncing back with a win after a loss in the series opener.

“Feels great. We did a lot of planning. Really happy the bowling unit stood up. The batters did well to reach 290. Crucial for us to step in today, and we’re glad we could do the job tonight. It was a good batting track and really important for us to keep going. The batters did a fantastic job of keeping up the tempo. Wanted to give my best (having gotten a game) and really happy to hold on to crucial catches.”

Though India had some fielding bloopers, Arundhati stated they are trying to take their chances well. “We spoke about that a lot. Wanted to come in with a lot of energy. We know the lapses that happened and wanted to stand up. We have it in us to be a very good fielding side. In the crucial moments, we took our chances (tonight).”

–IANS

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