Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield deliver record chase win in India ODI

Australia completed a record ODI chase in India as Ellyse Perry was put through what’s becoming a rite of passage for Aussie stars.

Australian opener Phoebe Litchfield says Ellyse Perry’s courageous innings in the Mumbai heat gave her “flashbacks” to Glenn Maxwell’s World Cup heroics as the tourists completed a record ODI chase in India.

Litchfield (78 off 89) and Perry (75 off 72) put on 148 runs for the second wicket as Australia cruised to 4-285 with 21 balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the ODI series on Thursday night.

The partnership came after captain Alyssa Healy departed for a third-ball duck to a stunning catch by Sneh Rana diving to her left at backward point.

The successful chase of India’s 8-282 was the highest in and against India in women’s one-day cricket and only fell shy of Australia’s 6-289 against New Zealand in 2012 as the all-time record in the format.

Phoebe Litchfield (left) and Ellyse Perry put on 148 for the second wicket as Australia chased down India’s 8-282 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Picture: Pankaj Nangia / Getty Images

Perry had the lowest career strike rate of Australia’s top seven but played one of the most explosive innings of her 139 ODIs. She hit 11 boundaries, including two sixes, despite battling cramps in both her calves during the second half of her innings.

“She started to cramp in her calves, which was quite a funny thing, I sort of got flashbacks to Glenn Maxwell’s innings,” Litchfield said after the six-wicket win.

“I think she cramped and then she hit a six down the ground – that’s Ellyse Perry for you.

“She just took the game on a bit more after she started cramping because she was like ‘I probably won’t be out here for long’.”

Bouncing back after a disappointing Test match in which she recorded a diamond duck and was bowled reverse sweeping in the second innings for 18, Litchfield said she would continue to turn to the unorthodox shot when she needed to relieve pressure.

Phoebe Litchfield says she turned to the reverse sweep at the wrong time during Australia’s Test defeat but will continue to use the shot as an attacking weapon. Picture: Pankaj Nangia / Getty Images

The 20-year-old played the shot several times to great effect during her fourth innings of more than 50 in 12 ODI games.

“I think in the Test match, it probably wasn’t the greatest scenario to bring out the reverse sweep, and I’ve definitely learnt from that,” she said.

“I think if we’re 200 runs ahead, yeah, you can bring out the reverse sweep, so we’ve had chats about that … but it’s a strength of mine and I like to play it, so I brought it out today.

“Ellyse is amazing to bat with, as soon as you feel under pressure she just whacks a four or a six and the scoring rate keeps going, which is awesome.”

Australia had looked on track to restrict India to a score of less than 250 after the home side won the toss and elected to bat, but No.9 Pooja Vastrakar put the home side in the box seat with a brutal 62 from 46 balls as she took 15 runs off Ash Gardner in the 49th over.

Tahlia McGrath (68 not out) and Beth Mooney (42) took over seamlessly from Perry and Litchfield to guide the tourists within 25 runs of their target with nine overs remaining.

India and Australia will meet at Wankhede Stadium again on Saturday night for the second ODI in the three-match series.

Originally published as Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield deliver record chase win in India ODI