AUS-W vs IND-W, 3rd ODI: Mooney’s 138 Powers Australia to 43-Run Win in Delhi Run-Fest.AUS Women vs IND Women, 3rd ODI at Delhi, IND Women vs AUS Women, Sep 20 2025 - Match Result.
RESULT 3rd ODI (D/N), Delhi, September 20, 2025, Australia Women tour of India AUS-W 412 (47.5 ov) IND-W 369 (47 ov, T:413) AUS Women won by 43 runs.
In the cauldron of Arun Jaitley Stadium, where the evening sun dipped into a humid Delhi haze on September 20, 2025, women's cricket unfurled one of its most exhilarating chapters—a day-night thriller that saw 781 runs cascade across 94.5 overs at a blistering rate of over 8.2 per over.
Australia Women, the reigning world champions and perennial tormentors of India in bilateral series, etched another chapter in their unblemished record by clinching the three-match ODI series 2-1 with a 43-run victory in the decider. Beth Mooney's scintillating 138 off 75 balls—the second-fastest ODI century in women's cricket history—propelled Australia to a mammoth 412 all out, the highest total ever against India in the format.
In response, Smriti Mandhana's blistering 125—the fastest ODI ton by an Indian woman—ignited a chase that had the home crowd roaring, but a middle-order wobble and Kim Garth's incisive 3-69 ensured the visitors defended their fortress, maintaining their perfect streak of 11 straight bilateral ODI series wins over India since 1984.
This wasn't just a match; it was a prelude to the ICC Women's World Cup starting September 30, a high-stakes dress rehearsal where both sides flexed muscles for the global showdown. Australia, preparing to defend their crown on home soil next year, showcased batting depth and bowling nous under Alyssa Healy's captaincy.
This wasn't just a match; it was a prelude to the ICC Women's World Cup starting September 30, a high-stakes dress rehearsal where both sides flexed muscles for the global showdown. Australia, preparing to defend their crown on home soil next year, showcased batting depth and bowling nous under Alyssa Healy's captaincy.
India, buoyed by a historic 102-run thumping in the second ODI—their first home win over Australia since 2007—pushed boundaries but fell short in the final leap, leaving captain Harmanpreet Kaur to rue "learnings" amid the heartbreak. Mooney, Player of the Match for her 138 and two sharp catches, summed it up: "You've got to beat every side in the world to lift that trophy... India will be one to watch." As the series trophy gleamed under the floodlights, with Healy hoisting it alongside her jubilant teammates, the echoes of 781 runs lingered—a testament to the evolving ferocity of women's ODI cricket.
Pre-Match Buildup: Stakes High with World Cup Looms
The air in Delhi buzzed with anticipation as the third ODI dawned, the series locked at 1-1 after a rollercoaster fortnight. Australia's dominant 190-run win in the opener at Ahmedabad set the tone, but India's riposte in New Chandigarh on September 17—led by Mandhana's 12th ODI century and a clinical bowling display featuring Renuka Singh's early strikes—had reignited hopes of a historic first home series triumph over the Aussies in 18 years. Jemimah Rodrigues' viral fever sidelined her for the decider, with Tejal Hasabnis stepping in, while Arundhati Reddy bolstered the attack after a strong showing in the second game. For India, this was more than redemption; it was momentum for the World Cup warm-ups, where Harmanpreet sought to channel her side's "depth in batting" against the world's best.
Australia, fined 10% of their match fee for a slow over-rate in the second ODI, arrived with fire in their bellies. Healy's squad, blending youth like Annabel Sutherland with veterans like Ellyse Perry, eyed an unblemished series record. Pre-match chatter on social media swirled around Mandhana's form—300 runs for the series, earning her Player of the Series honors—and Mooney's quest for redemption after a lean patch. Pundits predicted a run-fest on the batsman-friendly Delhi pitch, with one analyst quipping, "It could be 400 for both sides," a prophecy that nearly materialized.
Toss at 1:30 PM local time (D/N affair under lights) went Australia's way. Healy, scanning the flat track, opted to bat: "We want to put a score on the board and test our depth." India, in a poignant touch, donned pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness, adding emotional layers to the contest.
Pre-Match Buildup: Stakes High with World Cup Looms
The air in Delhi buzzed with anticipation as the third ODI dawned, the series locked at 1-1 after a rollercoaster fortnight. Australia's dominant 190-run win in the opener at Ahmedabad set the tone, but India's riposte in New Chandigarh on September 17—led by Mandhana's 12th ODI century and a clinical bowling display featuring Renuka Singh's early strikes—had reignited hopes of a historic first home series triumph over the Aussies in 18 years. Jemimah Rodrigues' viral fever sidelined her for the decider, with Tejal Hasabnis stepping in, while Arundhati Reddy bolstered the attack after a strong showing in the second game. For India, this was more than redemption; it was momentum for the World Cup warm-ups, where Harmanpreet sought to channel her side's "depth in batting" against the world's best.
Australia, fined 10% of their match fee for a slow over-rate in the second ODI, arrived with fire in their bellies. Healy's squad, blending youth like Annabel Sutherland with veterans like Ellyse Perry, eyed an unblemished series record. Pre-match chatter on social media swirled around Mandhana's form—300 runs for the series, earning her Player of the Series honors—and Mooney's quest for redemption after a lean patch. Pundits predicted a run-fest on the batsman-friendly Delhi pitch, with one analyst quipping, "It could be 400 for both sides," a prophecy that nearly materialized.
Toss at 1:30 PM local time (D/N affair under lights) went Australia's way. Healy, scanning the flat track, opted to bat: "We want to put a score on the board and test our depth." India, in a poignant touch, donned pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness, adding emotional layers to the contest.
Australia's XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Megan Schutt, Annabel Voll. India countered with: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Kranti Goud. Umpires Lauren Agenbag and Narayanan Janani, with GS Lakshmi as referee, set the stage.
A minute's silence for departed cricket legends preceded play, grounding the glamour in respect. As Healy strode out at 2:00 PM, the 25,000-strong crowd—decked in blue and gold—sensed history in the making.
Australia's Innings: Mooney's Masterclass and Record Runs (2:00 PM - 5:30 PM)
"Play underway!" The first ball from Renuka Singh nipped back to graze Healy's pads—four leg-byes, signaling a high-scoring saga. Australia exploded from the outset, with Healy and Voll feasting on a pitch offering true bounce and short boundaries. By the fifth over, 43/0; Healy's aggressive nudge off Goud for 1 at 3.3 overs fell cheaply, chipping a catch to Harmanpreet—43/1. Enter Mooney, who turned the innings into her canvas.
Mooney and Voll stitched 107 for the second wicket, Voll's fluent 81 off 72 (10 fours, 2 sixes) a perfect foil. Boundaries flowed: Voll's pull off Reddy for six over deep midwicket at over 10, Mooney's lofted drive over cover off Deepti. At drinks (15 overs), 120/1. Post-drink acceleration: Mooney, advised pre-match on the run-glut potential, unleashed—reaching fifty off 42 balls, then fifty more in 33. Her 138 (14 fours, 5 sixes) blended risk-free placement with power, adding 106 off 72 with Perry (68 off 54) and 82 off 46 with Gardner (45 off 38). "She kept going in the heat, scoring at a high rate with minimum risks," lauded commentators.
India's bowlers toiled: Reddy's 3-86 the standout, snaring Perry with a yorker at 300/4 (35 overs) and Sutherland lbw soon after. Rana's 2-75 included Voll's top-edge at 310/5. But Australia's depth shone—McGrath (32 off 20) and Jonassen (28 off 15) added 60 in the 45th over alone, nine wides inflating the total. Schutt's run-out at 412/10 in 47.5 sealed the highest women's ODI score vs India. Innings highlights: Mooney's ton in 75 balls (second-fastest ever), 28 boundaries in the innings.
Australia Women Batting ScorecardBatsmanDismissalRunsBalls4s6sSRAlyssa Healy (c & wk) c Harmanpreet b Goud 1 6 0 0 16.67
Annabel Voll c Deepti b Rana 81 72 10 2 112.50
Beth Mooney c Ghosh b Reddy 138 75 14 5 184.00
Ellyse Perry b Reddy 68 54 7 2 125.93
Tahlia McGrath run out (Richa) 32 20 3 1 160.00
Ash Gardner c Mandhana b Deepti 45 38 4 2 118.42
Annabel Sutherland lbw b Reddy 12 10 1 0 120.00
Jess Jonassen b Rana 28 15 3 1 186.67
Darcie Brown not out 4 3 0 0 133.33
Kim Garth c Sneh b Renuka 1 2 0 0 50.00
Megan Schutt run out (Deepti) 1 1 0 0 100.00
Extras (lb 5, w 36, nb 1) 42 - - - -
Total (47.5 overs) All out 412 - 42 13 -
India Women BowlingBowlerOversMaidensRunsWicketsEconRenuka Singh 9.5 0 72 2 7.45
A minute's silence for departed cricket legends preceded play, grounding the glamour in respect. As Healy strode out at 2:00 PM, the 25,000-strong crowd—decked in blue and gold—sensed history in the making.
Australia's Innings: Mooney's Masterclass and Record Runs (2:00 PM - 5:30 PM)
"Play underway!" The first ball from Renuka Singh nipped back to graze Healy's pads—four leg-byes, signaling a high-scoring saga. Australia exploded from the outset, with Healy and Voll feasting on a pitch offering true bounce and short boundaries. By the fifth over, 43/0; Healy's aggressive nudge off Goud for 1 at 3.3 overs fell cheaply, chipping a catch to Harmanpreet—43/1. Enter Mooney, who turned the innings into her canvas.
Mooney and Voll stitched 107 for the second wicket, Voll's fluent 81 off 72 (10 fours, 2 sixes) a perfect foil. Boundaries flowed: Voll's pull off Reddy for six over deep midwicket at over 10, Mooney's lofted drive over cover off Deepti. At drinks (15 overs), 120/1. Post-drink acceleration: Mooney, advised pre-match on the run-glut potential, unleashed—reaching fifty off 42 balls, then fifty more in 33. Her 138 (14 fours, 5 sixes) blended risk-free placement with power, adding 106 off 72 with Perry (68 off 54) and 82 off 46 with Gardner (45 off 38). "She kept going in the heat, scoring at a high rate with minimum risks," lauded commentators.
India's bowlers toiled: Reddy's 3-86 the standout, snaring Perry with a yorker at 300/4 (35 overs) and Sutherland lbw soon after. Rana's 2-75 included Voll's top-edge at 310/5. But Australia's depth shone—McGrath (32 off 20) and Jonassen (28 off 15) added 60 in the 45th over alone, nine wides inflating the total. Schutt's run-out at 412/10 in 47.5 sealed the highest women's ODI score vs India. Innings highlights: Mooney's ton in 75 balls (second-fastest ever), 28 boundaries in the innings.
Australia Women Batting ScorecardBatsmanDismissalRunsBalls4s6sSRAlyssa Healy (c & wk) c Harmanpreet b Goud 1 6 0 0 16.67
Annabel Voll c Deepti b Rana 81 72 10 2 112.50
Beth Mooney c Ghosh b Reddy 138 75 14 5 184.00
Ellyse Perry b Reddy 68 54 7 2 125.93
Tahlia McGrath run out (Richa) 32 20 3 1 160.00
Ash Gardner c Mandhana b Deepti 45 38 4 2 118.42
Annabel Sutherland lbw b Reddy 12 10 1 0 120.00
Jess Jonassen b Rana 28 15 3 1 186.67
Darcie Brown not out 4 3 0 0 133.33
Kim Garth c Sneh b Renuka 1 2 0 0 50.00
Megan Schutt run out (Deepti) 1 1 0 0 100.00
Extras (lb 5, w 36, nb 1) 42 - - - -
Total (47.5 overs) All out 412 - 42 13 -
India Women BowlingBowlerOversMaidensRunsWicketsEconRenuka Singh 9.5 0 72 2 7.45
Kranti Goud 8 0 65 0 8.13
Arundhati Reddy 10 0 86 3 8.60
Deepti Sharma 7 0 58 1 8.29
Sneh Rana 8 0 75 2 9.38
Radha Yadav 4 0 42 0 10.50
India's Chase: Mandhana's Fireworks and Near-Miracle (6:00 PM - 9:30 PM)
Under lights, with dew aiding the bat, India began the Herculean 413 chase. Schutt's first over: maiden, but Rawal countered with a boundary off Garth. At 3.3 overs: 32/1, Rawal (18) bowled by Brown. Mandhana, opening fire, and Deol rebuilt—85/2 by over 8.4, Deol (22) pulling Schutt to Mooney at deep square.
Enter Harmanpreet at 85/2. The duo's 121-run stand was electric: Mandhana's cover drives off Gardner, Harman's pulls over midwicket. By 20 overs: 204/2, needing 209 off 30 (RR 10.2). Mandhana's 125 (93 balls, 15 fours, 4 sixes)—fastest Indian ODI ton—featured a straight six off Jonassen. But drama at 20.1: DRS upheld lbw for Harmanpreet (52) off Garth—206/3. Mandhana followed next over, bowled by Rana—216/4.
Richa Ghosh (15) holed out at 231/5 (23.1), but Deepti Sharma ignited the afterburners. At No. 5, her 72 off 58 (strike rate 124.13, quickest for 20+ runs) was counter-punching brilliance—sweeps off Gardner, lofts over cover. With Radha Yadav (22 off 18), 30 for the sixth; then Sneh Rana (28 off 25) added 65 for the eighth, including a six over long-on. At 250/5 (26.5 overs), needing 163 off 23.1—hope flickered. Drinks at 27 overs: 250/5.
But Australia clawed back: Garth's 3-69 dismantled the lower order—Reddy (14) at 289/7 (33.3), Deepti at 354/8 (42.3). Rana's six off McGrath in the 45th kept pulses racing, but Garth's yorker sealed Renuka (4) at 369 all out in 47 overs—43 short. India's chase: bold till the end, but lacking finishers.
India Women Batting ScorecardBatsmanDismissalRunsBalls4s6sSRSmriti Mandhana b Rana 125 93 15 4 134.41
Pratika Rawal b Brown 18 20 2 0 90.00
Harleen Deol c Mooney b Schutt 22 19 3 0 115.79
Harmanpreet Kaur (c) lbw b Garth 52 38 6 1 136.84
Richa Ghosh (wk) c Perry b Jonassen 15 12 2 0 125.00
Deepti Sharma c Sutherland b Garth 72 58 7 2 124.14
Radha Yadav c Mooney b Gardner 22 18 2 0 122.22
Sneh Rana c Healy b McGrath 28 25 2 1 112.00
Arundhati Reddy run out (Voll) 14 12 1 0 116.67
Renuka Singh b Garth 4 5 0 0 80.00
Kranti Goud not out 0 1 0 0 0.00
Extras (b 4, lb 3, w 18, nb 2) 27 - - - -
Total (47 overs) All out 369 - 38 8 -
Australia Women BowlingBowlerOversMaidensRunsWicketsEconMegan Schutt 10 1 62 1 6.20
Kim Garth 10 0 69 3 6.90
Darcie Brown 9 0 58 1 6.44
Ash Gardner 7 0 62 1 8.86
Jess Jonassen 6 0 58 1 9.67
Tahlia McGrath 5 0 52 2 10.40
Key Turning Points: From Blissful Stand to Dramatic Collapse
The match's fulcrum swung on the 20th over: India's 204/2, with Mandhana and Harmanpreet matching the impossible rate, evoked ghosts of Pakistan's near-313 chase the day prior in Lahore. Garth's lbw—upheld on review—sparked a slide: four wickets for 25 runs in 30 balls, the required rate ballooning to 12+. Deepti's heroism—a 58-ball 72 blending defense and daring—nearly atoned, her 65-run stand with Sneh evoking T20 flair in ODIs. Yet, Garth's return overs, conceding just 12 in the death, proved decisive.
Australia's innings hinged on Mooney's endurance in 35°C heat—her 138 not just runs, but a psychological sledgehammer. Reddy's three-fer offered India a lifeline at 310/5, but 102 runs off the last 7.5 overs, fueled by wides and sixes, buried it. Mooney's two catches—Voll and Radha—added to her legend, while Healy's tactics, rotating seamers smartly, stifled momentum.
Post-match, Harmanpreet reflected: "We played good cricket... shows we have depth, but not liking the losing side." Healy: "India fantastic... looking forward to [World Cup]." Mandhana's series haul: 300 runs @ 100 average, a beacon for India.
Post-Match Reflections: Lessons for the World Cup
As confetti rained on Healy's lift—trophy gleaming against the pink-jerseyed Indians—the narrative shifted to the World Cup. Australia's series seal preserved their Indian fortress, but India's chase signaled growth: from chokers to challengers, with Deepti's strike rate a blueprint for big totals. Mooney's ton, Voll's support act, Garth's clutch wickets—vintage champions. For India, absences like Rodrigues tested depth, but Hasabnis' inclusion hints at resilience.
Fan reactions flooded timelines: "Mandhana's 125 🔥 Almost historic!" trended, while Aussie supporters hailed "Mooney the GOAT." With warm-ups beckoning, both sides depart enriched—Australia defending, India dreaming. In Delhi's night, cricket's future shone brighter, 781 runs a promise of more.
Player of the Series: Smriti Mandhana (300 runs). The Naagin of chases slithered close, but Australia's venom prevailed.
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