Rawal fight in vain as Australia secure comfortable 10-wicket win

Rawal fight in vain as Australia secure comfortable 10-wicket win

Alyssa Healy signed off on her international career by helming Australia to a 12-4 win in the multi-format series against India, the hosts beating the visitors comprehensively by 10 wickets in the opening session on Day 3 of the WACA Test.

It was only a matter of time for India, who were staring down the barrel at 105/6 in their second innings, still behind by 20 runs at stumps on Day 2. Pratika Rawal, India's no. 3 who came to the crease on the third ball of the innings, fought a lone battle to take India into a slender lead, ensuring against an innings defeat.

Unbeaten on 43 overnight, the batter raised her maiden fifty in the second innings of her Test debut. Her partner at the other end, Sneh Rana got an early reprieve and then guided India into the lead with a boundary swept to backward square leg off Alana King.

Ash Gardner came into the attack 10 overs into the session and got a breakthrough almost immediately. Rana was dropped for the second time in the day but the very next ball had her name on it. Beaten on the outside edge, Rana was bowled for 30, just after the partnership had crossed the 50-run mark. Alana King had Kashvee Gautam caught by Healy at slip in the following over to make it a double blow for the visitors.

Rawal and Sayali Satghare stitched a brief 16-run stand but the duo eventually fell in quick succession to set Australia a modest 25-run target. Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll took a couple of overs to get their eye in but then wiped off the target in a flurry of boundaries, needing just 4.3 overs.

Brief Scores:
India 198 (Jemimah Rodrigues 52; Annabel Sutherland 4-46, Lucy Hamilton 3-31) & 149 (Pratika Rawal 63; Lucy Hamilton 3-32, Annabel Sutherland 2-15) lost to Australia 323 (Annabel Sutherland 129, Ellyse Perry 76; Sayali Satghare 4-50) and 28 for no loss by 10 wickets.