Play was set to resume 2.50 pm IST but fresh rains made sure no play was possible. The umpires gave themselves sometime to wait and see if the rain passes away or not..but no. Early stumps has been taken…so no more play.
bat on what looked like a pitch with a greenish tinge, Smriti Mandhana took the attack to the Australian bowlers and was particularly severe on debutant Darcie Brown. Shafali Verma at the other end looked all at sea early on and lived a charmed life throughout her 64-ball stay in the middle. Mandhana enjoyed the pace on the ball and raced to her 3rd Test fifty in just 52 balls. But, Australian spinners arrested India’s momentum and bogged down both the openers. Sophie Molineux got rid of Verma after she was dropped twice earlier.
Having gained significantly in confidence with a fighting performance in one-dayers, the Indian women’s cricket team would now go through a trial by fire when it make its day-night Test debut against Australia in the one-off game beginning in Gold Coast on Thursday.
With the third ODI held on Sunday and the following day being a rest day, the Mithali Raj-led squad has got only two practice sessions in the lead-up to the landmark Test. The visitors lost 1-2 in the shorter format series.
The squad has very little idea about how the shiny pink ball will behave during the course of the game at the Metricon Stadium.
The One-off Test match will begin on Thursday, September 30.