It was a tough evening for India and the scoreboard told a painful story. After conceding a massive total and losing the series, there was little room for excuses, only honest reflection.
Young India opener Pratika Rawal admitted the team simply could not execute their plans in the third and final ODI against Australia on Sunday. India suffered a humiliating 185-run defeat, losing the three-match series 0-3.
Australia piled up a daunting 409 for seven, riding on a blazing 158 from captain Alyssa Healy in her final ODI appearance and an unbeaten 106 from Beth Mooney. The Indian bowlers tried to fight back but the Australian batters were relentless, playing aggressive and confident cricket throughout.
Chasing 410 was always going to be a mountain to climb. India were eventually bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs. Pratika, who scored 27, admitted that the Indian team was “all over the place”.
She said none of their plans really worked and although the bowlers tried hard, the Australian batters played exceptional shots that were difficult to contain. She also pointed out that while India got a few decent starts with the bat, they failed to convert them into big scores.
Batting at No. 9, Sneh Rana emerged as India’s top scorer with a fighting 44 off 74 balls. Jemimah Rodrigues added a quick 42 from 29 deliveries. Pratika praised Sneh Rana’s effort, saying she played some impressive shots despite coming in lower down the order. However, she admitted that without substantial partnerships or big individual scores, the team was always going to struggle.
Despite the heavy loss, the 25-year-old sounded hopeful about the future. She described the defeat as a learning experience and said the team still believes in itself. According to her, setbacks like these are part of the journey and the group is determined to come back stronger.
India will now turn their attention to the one-off pink-ball Test in Perth from March 6. The match could mark Pratika’s Test debut if she is selected. She expressed excitement about the possibility, calling Test cricket one of the most special formats of the game. With this being her first tour of Australia, she said the early net sessions in Perth would be crucial to understand the pitch and conditions.
For India, the challenge is clear — regroup, reset and respond.
