Alyssa Healy, the Australian captain, had a memorable final day in the office in ODIs, as she smacked a knock of 158 runs against India in the third and final ODI at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Sunday.
The right-handed batter’s knock was studded with 27 fours and 2 sixes, and the feat of her scoring a century was all the more memorable considering her husband and Australia men’s pacer Mitchell Starc was in the commentary box, calling the game. This knock set up Australia’s victory as the hosts registered a comprehensive 185-run win.
The proceedings in the final ODI started with India captain Harmanpreet Kaur winning the toss and opting to bowl first. When Healy and Phoebe Litchfield were walking out to the middle, the entire Indian camp, led by Harmanpreet, formed a guard of honour, showing their utmost respect for Healy and her contribution to the game.
When Healy walked through the middle, she didn’t forget to shake Harmanpreet’s hands. From there on, absolute carnage ensued in the middle with the 35-year-old smacking the Indian bowlers all around the park. With this ton, she became just the second women’s cricketer to score a century in her last ODI after South Africa’s Johmari Logtenberg.
Healy was eventually sent back to the pavilion by Sneh Rana, dismissing her for 158 off 98 balls. Once she was dismissed, the entire Hobart crowd gave her a standing ovation, and Healy made her way back after raising her bat, soaking in the applause at the Bellerive Oval.
The seasoned Australian wicketkeeper-batter had announced her retirement in January 2026, saying the multi-format series against India would be her last international assignment. Earlier, Healy had led Australia to the semi-final of the 2025 Women’s World Cup, where the side came up short against the eventual winners, India.
Speaking of the third ODI, Beth Mooney also returned with an unbeaten 106-run knock, helping Australia post 409/7 in the allotted fifty overs. Georgia Voll scored 64 while Nicola Carey chipped in with an unbeaten 34 off 15 balls, helping the Southern Stars post more than 400 runs on the board.
India’s batting implodes
The likes of Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal and Harmanpreet were unable to show any fight with the bat as India were bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs, losing the game by 185 runs.
Mandhana went back for a four-ball duck while Harmanpreet, who scored half-centuries in the first two ODIs, managed just 25 runs. Jemimah Rodrigues tried her best, but Ashleigh Gardner ended her quickfire stint at the crease, and she walked back to the hut after managing 42 runs. The task was so easy for Australia in the final ODI that Healy also rolled her arm over, conceding 12 runs in 2 overs.
With this win, Australia swept the three-match ODI series, winning 3-0. This result also gave the hosts an 8-4 lead in the multi-format series. The two teams will now meet in the one-off Test, which begins on Friday, March 6.