SERIES REVIEW
Follow UsOver the years, if you've followed women's cricket closely, India and Australia have been involved in some exhilarating games that have enthralled millions of fans across the globe.
The semi-final of the Women's World Cup in 2017 ✅
The summit clash of the T20 World Cup in front of a capacity crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ✅
The final of the inaugural edition of the Commonwealth Games ✅
Well, you name the knockout stages of a world event, and these two sides lock horns in the battle for supremacy.
While Australia have had the upper hand in terms of wins against the Women in Blue, it is fair to say that India are the only team to have challenged the Aussies in their dominance at the highest level.
Their mouth-watering clash at the Edgbaston Cricket Stadium in Birmingham for the final match of the Games left the fans gasping for more games involving the two heavyweights.
And, with the T20 World Cup in a couple of months, it was indeed an ideal platform for the Australian side to visit the Indian shores and compete in a five-match series as the build-up for the mega event.
Two powerhouses of world cricket going head to head, it doesn't get any better than this for an advertisement of women's cricket. The series indeed lived up to all the hype and expectations as people thronged the stadium to witness some high-quality cricket going all the way down to the wire.
Yes, India have lost the series 4-1, and the last encounter was pretty much a one-sided affair but take nothing away from the young team under Harmanpreet Kaur that is set to rule world cricket in the next five years.
The five matches not only shattered numerous records but also stereotypes about women's sport not being a high-scoring affair or not entertaining for the fans.
With the games done and dusted, here are some of the key takeaways for the two sides as the road of the World Cup beckons.
Is Richa Ghosh India's new finisher?
Even before the series commenced, the Women in Blue were dealt with a major blow as Pooja Vastrakar was ruled out of the five games due to an injury.
While the all-rounder was groomed as the finisher of the Indian side in the past year, her absence against the defending champions resulted in Richa Ghosh being assigned the tough task of finishing games for the Indian side at the tender age of 19.
Well, a wicketkeeper donning the role of a finisher for the Indian side, we have seen it before!
And she showed glimpses of her destructive ability with the bat in the opening clash with a 20-ball 36 that helped India post a formidable first innings total.
While fans across the globe were still in awe of her hard-hitting skills and class possessed by a teenager, she was not done yet.
A couple of days later, a packed house at the DY Patil witnessed one of the best games in the history of women's cricket to halt the Aussie juggernaut and hand them their first defeat of the year.
46 off 24 deliveries and the big guns of the side back in the pavilion, the onus of the side relied heavily on the young shoulders of Richa. And what followed in the next 30 minutes not only propelled every person in the stadium to stand and applaud her heroics but also witness the exuberance and class of the young Indian players on the biggest stage.
Three massive sixes in her 13-ball 26 helped India level the scores in an uncanny fashion to drag the reigning champs into the Super Over and stall their winning streak.
113 runs in five innings at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 179.4 augurs well for the Indian side heading into the World Cup in February. The positive sign for them and the team is that they will be part of India's Under-19 squad for the World Cup.
With India faltering at the world arena mainly due to a lack of power hitters down the order, Richa exploits down the order along with Vastrakar will hopefully end India's find for a finisher.
India unearth a star in Devika Vaidya
While India were pondering over their finisher, another area of concern for the team was the lack of a leg spinner in the playing XI. The Women in Blue recalled Devika Vaidya after eight years to bolster their all-around resources.
"It is always a dream to come back, play for the country and win a World Cup, and it always kept me going,"
And she has lived up to the promise as Vaidya has been the find of the series with her consistent performances with the bat, along with her crucial wickets in the middle orders.
With the Indian team looking for left-handed options in the middle order, her vital contributions of an unbeaten 25 in the first game followed by 32 in the fourth encounter adds a lot more depth and variety to the playing XI.
The past couple of years have been tough for her, with struggles revolving around her mental health and injuries, but this series marks a glorious chapter in her life, and India could not have asked for a better find just before the World Cup.
Ellyse Perry's road to redemption
While all the focus and attention has been on the Indian team playing at home, the Aussie contingent had to work on some minor chinks in the armour before heading to the land of the Proteas to defend their title.
One of the talking points for the reigning champions was the role of Ellyse Perry in the side. The 32-year-old was left out of the playing XI in the Commonwealth Games, and there were question marks surrounding her strike rate.
Most great players do improve and evolve with the changing landscape of the game and Perry did precisely that in the recently concluded edition of the Women's Big Bash League.
In 15 innings, the skipper of the Sixers smashed 408 runs at an average of 40.80 and a strike rate of 119.64 to help her side reach the finals of the extravaganza.
With the unavailability of Meg Lanning and the retirement of Rachael Haynes, Australia needed their premier all-arounder to shoulder the responsibility of the side in the middle order.
While she was not needed with the bat in the first two outings, Perry displayed an array of strokes in the next couple of outings with twin 70+ scores to not only power Australia to a mammoth first-innings total but also shut down her critics in the best possible fashion.
There ain't any doubt that Australia need Perry to be at her absolute best in the coming months to successfully defend their title, and going by the glimpses we have seen in these matches, her best is yet to follow.
