Mandhana ton hands India first win at home against Australia since 2007

Eighteen years and 206 days. It was a long wait. Entire careers started and ended in the time between India's previous ODI victory at home against Australia in 2007 and the 102 run triumph in New Chandigarh on Wednesday.

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The final margin may make the win seem easy but it took spirited bowling from India following Smriti Mandhana's century to draw level at 1-1 in the three-match series. Riding on Mandhana's 12th ODI ton, India posted 292, a total that seemed lower than what they should have got. In response, India's seamers stifled the top order and the spinners put pressure on the middle order to hand Australia their biggest ODI defeat. All this after being thrashed in the opening match at the same venue.

Australia wanted to "get out in the heat and acclimatise," said their captain Alyssa Healy after asking India to bat on a flat track. India's innings was Mandhana or bust. She hit a six off her eighth ball, won an unfavourable match-up against Ashleigh Gardner, and made use of the first powerplay to race to a 45-ball fifty. With India a bat-

ter short after Jemimah Rodrigues was ruled out of the series with viral fever. Mandhana never let the tempo drop.