Australia v India Third ODI Report Card

Featuring Reddy menaces, unfair teams and dramatic conclusions

Reddy Menaces
Grade: B+

The vibe heading into this third ODI was predictably lacklustre. Australia had thrashed India in the first two matches and nothing felt like it was going to change. The Australians had their foot on the throat of India (and were subsequently fined 25% of their match fee for this unpleasant behaviour), and weren’t going to let up.

Preferred occupant of an Indian throat (Photo by amirali mirhashemian on Unsplash)

Heck, even when Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to field, Tahlia McGrath simply pivoted to saying she was always going to have a bat anyway. Australia with all the answers.

So when Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield scampered off to another precocious half-century opening partnership, nobody was particularly surprised.

Until Arundhati Reddy took the ball and got rid of both of them in the same over. At first you thought this was just usual hijinks from a couple of youngsters. Making silly mistakes as kids do, getting out without thinking ahead to how that meant they wouldn’t be allowed to score any more runs. But what are you going to do? Reason with them? No.

But then Reddy also dismissed Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney to have Australia 4/78, and Australian cricket fans were left to cry as one:

“WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESE REDDYS?”

Unfair Teams
Grade: C

Of course, this is the Australian women’s cricket team. So even though Reddy had taken four quick wickets, there was no need to panic.

Instead, Annabel Sutherland and reigning Belinda Clark Award winner, Ash Gardner, added 96 runs without breaking a sweat. Even when Deepti Sharma dismissed Gardner for 50 (64), that just meant McGrath came in to score a half-century of her own. Sutherland reached her ton in the final over with a barrage of boundaries and there you are, 6/298 from 50 overs.

Very unfair team. The ICC needs to step in.

Dramatic Conclusions
Grade: B