Australia 282 for 2 (Litchfield 88, Mooney 77*, Sutherland 54*, Rana 1-51) beat India 281 for 7 (Rawal 64, Mandhana 58, Deol 54, Schutt 2-45) by eight wickets
Fifties from Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland helped Australia clinch the first ODI against India in New Chandigarh.
India were left to rue several spilled chances - including one of Litchfield on zero - as they could not defend 281. After India opted to bat, they too had three players - Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol - score half-centuries, but Australia's overall performance, specifically Litchfield's masterclass against spin, helped them ease past the hosts by eight wickets.
With India fielding four spinners and one seamer, they opened the bowling with Kranti Goud and Sneh Rana. Rana created a chance in the second over, getting Litchfield to flick a floaty delivery towards short midwicket where Jemimah Rodrigues put down the chance. Captain Alyssa Healy and Litchfield then settled in, hitting a flurry of boundaries in the third and fourth overs.
Healy seemed to carry on from where she left off from the series against India A - she made scores of 91 and 137* in the one-dayers ahead of this series - as she punished width and half-volleys from Goud in the seventh over. But Goud hit back instantly, having her drag one on to her stumps with a delivery that seamed back in.
Litchfield soon made India regret the dropped chance as she targeted all areas of the ground. She was particularly adept against spinners, bringing out the sweep, reverse sweep and switch hit. Those shots brought her five boundaries.
Ellyse Perry soon joined in on the fun, punishing full tosses from Sree Charani and Radha Yadav for a boundary and a six, respectively. With the pitch offering little for spinners, the duo kept the runs flowing, scoring well over the required run rate. Litchfield brought up her half-century off 44 balls, sweeping Deepti Sharma to the backward-square-leg boundary.
Soon after, India put down two more chances. Rawal dropped Perry at deep midwicket in the 17th over and Harmanpreet spilled a simple chance of Litchfield at covers. And Perry and Litchfield continued to pile on the misery.
However, Perry retired hurt for 30 at the end of the 20th over, seemingly having trouble with her left calf after previously calling for assistance twice during her innings. Mooney then joined Litchfield at the crease and kept the tempo going. In the end, it was the reverse sweep that brought Litchfield's wicket as Arundhati Reddy managed to hang on to a catch running in from short third. But by then Australia were firmly on course.
Sutherland took her time to settle in but broke the shackles with a drive to the backward-point boundary. Sree Charani bowled a slew of full tosses throughout her spell, one of which was whacked over midwicket by Mooney to bring up her 19th ODI fifty. With less than 50 runs required, India dropped another catch - their fourth of the day - as Deepti spilled an easy one of Mooney at extra cover. Sutherland soon brought up a fifty of her own, off 47 balls in the 43rd over, and also scored the winning runs two overs later.
Earlier, India's openers Mandhana and Rawal got off to a solid start, with Mandhana making her intent clear from the beginning, bringing out her trademark cover drive to score boundaries and charging down to Kim Garth for a big hit.
Australia put the pressure on Rawal early on, having three catchers in the cordon and just one fielder in the deep. But she managed to pick up boundaries through the gaps, one of which was an edge that went past Beth Mooney at gully.
Mandhana and Rawal brought up their fifth century stand, equalling the Indian record. They also put up the highest opening stand for India against Australia, going past 103 by Sandhya Agarwal and Gargi Banerjee in 1984.
The stand, however, came to an end in the 22nd over due to a mix-up. Mandhana set off for a single to extra cover with Rawal ball-watching, as Litchfield made a diving stop and nailed a direct hit at the striker's end. A livid Mandhana walked back for a 63-ball 58.
Rawal became more watchful after that as India's run rate dropped below five. She further slowed down with the introduction of Alana King in the 27th over and even played out a maiden. She looked to break the shackles with a slog sweep off King, only to be caught by Perry at deep midwicket.
As Australia kept building the pressure, a boundary from Deol after 40 deliveries was met with loud cheers across the ground. Harmanpreet Kaur, too, showed intent as soon as she came on, hammering a six over deep-backward square leg. But she was trapped lbw by Annabel Sutherland in the same over. Even a review couldn't save her.
Deol gave India the much-needed impetus, putting the pressure back on the Australia spinners, hitting four boundaries and two sixes on her way to a run-a-ball fifty. But she was stumped off Megan Schutt soon after that, with Healy standing up.
In a chaotic 43rd over bowled by Tahlia McGrath, Richa Ghosh was saved by a no-ball after being caught at deep-backward square leg. The free-hit - a no-ball again - was launched straight down the ground. The next free hit was lofted over long-off. McGrath, however, found some respite by the end of the over by dismissing Rodrigues for 18.
Despite Schutt removing Ghosh for 25 off 20, thanks to a superb catch by Ash Gardner at deep midwicket, cameos from Deepti and Radha took India to 281. But it did not prove to be enough.
