India dominate day one to take control of Mumbai Test

India have stamped their authority early on the one-off Test against Australia in Mumbai, rolling the tourists for 219 on the opening day before racing to 1-98 at stumps.

Throughout an absorbing day of Test cricket – Australia’s first in India in almost 40 years – the momentum ebbed and flowed, but it was largely in favour of the hosts, who made a scintillating start taking two wickets in the first 10 balls at Wankhede Stadium.

They bookended it with a near flawless start with the bat from openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, whose 90-run opening stand was only broken in the shadows of stumps.

Mandhana will resume on Friday morning on 43, looking to further erase Australia’s lead of 121 alongside nightwatcher Sneh Rana.

On Test eve Australia captain Alyssa Healy had expressed an intent to ‘bat big and bat long’ should the coin fall in the tourists’ favour, but those best laid plans came unstuck through a combination of errors and an inspired Indian attack.

Pooja Vastrakar carried on her red-hot form from last week’s Test against England, capturing 4-53 and was backed up by off-spinner Rana (3-56).

Tahlia McGrath was the best of the Australian batters in what appeared to be challenging conditions, hitting 50 from 56 deliveries, but their next highest contributors were Beth Mooney’s 40 and Healy’s 38. 

Mandhana and Verma then made batting look simple, immediately going on the attack against the new ball pair of Kim Garth and debutant Lauren Cheatle.

Garth came in for particular punishment as the openers raced to 50 from just 7.4 overs.

Searching for an answer, Healy introduced spin in the final half hour, with Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen coming into the attack and the latter trapped Verma lbw on 40 to give the tourists’ a sorely needed first breakthrough.

Healy’s tenure as fulltime Australian captain began with a correct call at the toss and to the surprise of no one, she opted to bat.

Cheatle became the 184th woman to wear the Baggy Green when her cap was presented by Ellyse Perry, with the left-armer one of two specialist quicks included in the XI alongside Garth, and three spinners in Gardner, Jonassen and Alana King.

But Australia’s day got off to a horror start when a miscommunication between Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield saw the latter run out without facing a delivery in the first over.

Litchfield was called through for what could only be deemed an ambitious single by Mooney and the 20-year-old was caught well short by Jemimah Rodrigues' throw from point, with replays showing wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia whipped off the bails well before she even got into the broadcast frame.

That unforced error was followed by a stunning delivery from Vastrakar that jagged back sharply to castle No.3 Perry for four.

Perry had gotten off the mark with a thick edge that raced through slips to the boundary, but she was thoroughly deceived by Vastrakar to be dismissed for fewer than five runs for the first time in her 12-Test career.

McGrath arrived in the middle with Australia 2-7 in the second over and looked by far the most comfortable of the Australians despite being dropped on 18, putting the pressure back on India as she struck eight boundaries.

The vice-captain cruised at better than a run a ball on her way to a third Test half-century, which came off just 52 deliveries – an Australian record – and she dominated the 80-run third-wicket stand she shared with Mooney.

But McGrath came unstuck shortly after raising the bat, miscuing off-spinner Rana to a leaping Rajashwari Gayakwad at midwicket, to leave Australia 3-87.

Mooney had scrapped and hung in there at the other end, and after being given out lbw on 37, successfully overturned the decision.

However she only added three more to her tally before the return of Vastrakar brought about the breakthrough on the stroke of lunch, with Mooney fending off a short-pitched delivery straight to Rana at slip.

Healy had gotten off the mark with a booming six before the break, but as the tourists resumed at 4-103 after it, the Australian skipper looked to dig in for the long haul.

She successfully worked her way into the 30s knocking the spinners around, and successfully employed DRS after being given out lbw sweeping a Rajashwari Gayakwad delivery on 36, but only added two more runs before the same shot proved her undoing, bowled by Deepti Sharma to leave Australia 5-143.

Her dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse of 4-25, as the return of Vastrakar saw Annabel Sutherland trapped plumb lbw before the Indian quick enticed Gardner (11) into edging behind.

Rana then got a second, with India successfully reviewing for a catch behind to send King (5) back to the dressing room.

From 8-168, a fighting rearguard effort from No.8 Jonassen and No.10 Garth then stemmed the flow of wickets and pushed the tourists towards 200.

They occupied the crease for 15.3 overs during their 30-run stand until Jonassen (19) was trapped on the pads by Sharma, while Garth was left unbeaten on 28 form 71 balls as Australia were finally bowled out for 119 in 77.4 overs.

Australia's CommBank Tour of India

December 21-24: Test match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

December 28: First ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

December 30: Second ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

January 2: Third ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

January 5: First T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

January 7: Second T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

January 9: Third T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle (Test only), Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

India Test squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Shubha Satheesh, Harleen Deol, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar