WATCH | Richa Ghosh's spidey sense punishes Beth Mooney's callous attitude to hand India huge breakthrough

12/23/2023

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To beat the best in the world, a team cannot afford to let any opportunity go unanswered -- a lesson India reminded the cricket fraternity of on Saturday. Seeking to hand Australia their first defeat in a decade, the hosts ran out marquee batter Beth Mooney by catching her completely off guard.

‌India built upon their advantage across the first two days in the Women's Test against Australia at Wankhede to increase their first-innings lead to 187 runs with the bat before being bowled out for 406 on Thursday. The hosts seemed to have the game by the throat heading into the second innings but couldn't afford to take things lightly given the sheer prowess of Australia and the visitors' batting effort began ominously as Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield looked at ease against the shiny new red cherry. The former had raced to 33 at almost run a ball with the partnership edging towards the fifty-run mark and just when it was threatening to get out of hand, India struck most unexpectedly courtesy of the brilliant game awareness of Richa Ghosh.

Mooney, up against off-spinner Sneh Rana in the 12th over, stretched forward on the penultimate ball to defend the full delivery. However, she got too close to the pitch of the ball leading to a bat-pad but no harm was done as the ball innocuously traveled to Ghosh at silly point even as the Indian contingent went up in an optimistic appeal. Mooney, thinking the job was done, carelessly lifted her hind leg to regain balance and in doing so wandered out of the crease for a brief moment while turning her back on the ball. Little did she expect the 20-year-old fielder to sense the tiny window of opportunity as Ghosh immediately slung the ball at the stumps mid-appeal and banished a taken-aback Mooney back to the pavilion, triggering vehement celebration in the Indian camp.

India snared Phoebe Litchfield quickly after to reduce the kangaroos to 63/2 at Lunch and move a step closer to a maiden Test victory against the world beaters.