INDIANS ON TOP AS RAIN HITS TEST
A TORRENTIAL downpour was needed to stop India after an impressive start from the tourists in their one-off women’s pink-ball, daynight Test against Australia at Metricon Stadium on Thursday.
Asked to bat first after Australia’s captain Meg Lanning won the toss, India defied a green-tinged pitch to take early control in the first Test match between the teams in 15 years.
However, the threatening skies that held off for the entire first session finally unleashed in the second session, with India on 1-132 in the 45th over when a second rain delay forced players off the field at 7.34pm, just a quarter of an hour after they returned following an initial stoppage of 108 minutes.
Play was called for the night at 9.40pm after no cessation in the heavy rainfall, with lightning also threatening over Carrara.
The early star of the contest was India opener Smriti Mandhana, who was unbeaten on 80 from 144 balls when play was halted.
Mandhana made a blistering start to her innings, bringing up her half century in just 51 balls before the Australians slowed India’s progress with some tighter bowling.
The Australians didn’t help their cause by failing to grasp three chances offered by Mandhana’s opening partner Shafali Verma.
Two were sharp opportunities that Lanning at first slip couldn’t grasp, but the third was a sitter put down by Annabel Sutherland at mid-on.
Verma was eventually dismissed for 31 in the 26th over.