New Delhi: Jemimah Rodrigues played a fine lone hand even as other Indian batters struggled against the Australian pacers Annabel Sutherland and debutant Lucy Hamilton on the opening day of the one-off day-night Test in Perth on Friday.
Rodrigues battled hard for her 52 runs but failed to get support from the other batters, who failed to negotiate the swing and bounce.
Sent into bat, India were bundled out for a below-par 198.
In reply, Australia lost three wickets against the new ball, but Ellyse Perry stood firm to take her team to 96 for 3, only behind 102 runs of India’s total.
Indian pacers extracted some help under the lights to dismiss three Aussie top-order batters.
Sutherland, Hamilton run through India’s top order
Aussies’ decision to field first proved right as Annabel Sutherland (4/46) and debutant Lucy Hamilton (3/31) troubled the Indian batters throughout the innings.
Left-arm pacer Hamilton drew first blood, castling Smriti Mandhana in the sixth over, with a brilliant inswinger.
Shafali Verma (35) looked in good touch, but Sutherland found her outside edge with a good length ball for wicket-keeper Beth Mooney to take a simple catch.
Debutant Pratika Rawal (18), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (19) and Deepti Sharma (7) all walked back to the pavillion without making much contributions, leaving India reeling at 107 for five.
Rodrigues joined hands with Richa Ghosh (11, 41b) to stitch a 43-run stand for the sixth wicket to take India past 150.
However, both fell to Hamilton and Ash Gardner in the space of an over as India suffered another mini-collapse.
A 38-run stand between the debutants Kashvee Gautam (34 not out) and Sayali Satghare (7, 35b) for the ninth wicket helped India reach closer to 200.
Satghare (8-1-24-2) made more impact with the ball, dismissing Aussie opener Georgia Voll (2) with a magnificent inswinger.
India dismissed the dangerous duo of Phoebe Litchfield (9) and skipper Alyssa Healy (13), in quick succession, to rattle the Aussie top order.
Perry (43 not out) and Sutherland (20 not out) stopped the rut with an unbeaten 38-run stand.