Smriti Mandhana's career-best 80 not out helped India Women to take the early honours on their pink-ball Test debut on Day 1 against Australia Women before heavy rain brought early stumps at the Matricon Stadium. Only 44.1 overs of play was possible, and India comfortably placed at 132/1.
Australia fielded four debutantes – Darcie Brown, Stella Campbell, Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham – after Meg Lanning won the toss and asked India to bat. India, on the other hand, gave maiden Test caps to Yastika Bhatia and Meghna Singh.
Australian bowlers struggled to find a consistent line with the new pink ball, and Mandhana and Shafali Verma took full advantage of that. Australians were not at their best in the fielding either. Verma got three lifelines, first, she was dropped twice by Lanning at slip, on 3 and 19, and then, by Sutherland at mid-on, on 25.
India reached 70/0 at drinks in the morning session. Mandhana played aggressively, striking 11 fours to notch up her third Test fifty, which came in just 51 balls.
After the break, Australia introduced spin for the first time by bringing in Sophie Molineux and Ashleigh Gardner from both ends. The opening partnership finally came to an end after 93 runs when Verma tried to loft Molineux over mid-off. But it only reached to Tahlia McGrath.
Punam Raut (16*) and Mandhana took India to 101/1 at Dinner, and then progressed to 132/1 after the break. But rain returned to force on-field umpires to take early Tea, and the weather was getting worse with time. With that, now the remaining three days will begin half an hour early.
Brief Scores: India Women 132/1 (Smriti Mandhana 80*; Sophie Molineux 1-18) vs Australia Women.