(Reuters) – Australia and India settled for a draw in the women’s pink-ball test at the Carrara Oval yesterday in a game that fluctuated for four days but failed to produce a result due to rain.
The match was set up nicely on the final day after Ellyse Perry (68 not out) and Ashleigh Gardner (51) helped Australia save the follow-on, with captain Meg Lanning declaring on 241-9 and handing India a 136-run lead in the hope of forcing a result.
India openers Smriti Mandhana (31) and Shafali Verma (52) impressed again as they propelled the touring side to 135-3, setting Australia 271 to chase with 32 overs left in the match. The hosts, however, could reach only 36-2 in 15 overs before both captains shook hands for a draw.
“Without the weather we would have got a result in four days. We certainly came to win as did India. India played really well and put us on the back foot, we had to fight it out. They ran in hard and gave it their all,” Lanning said.
An outright result was always in doubt after bad weather interrupted play on the opening two days.
India skipper Mithali Raj was happy with her team’s performance.
“Had we got four wickets we might have kept going. But overall the team played really well. Jhulan (Goswami) has always been our best bowler for so many years and we got to see why she was the best,” said Raj.
Mandhana was named player of the match for her excellent innings of 127.
The sides meet in the first of three Twenty20s at the same venue on Thursday.