After the loss to South Africa from a winning position, India Women bowlers messed it up once again. This time, they couldn’t defend a target as big as 331 as Australia Women rode on captain Alyssa Healy’s 142 off 107 balls and Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 47 to beat the Indians by three wickets and an over to spare in their Women’s ODI World Cup game in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

This was the highest succesful run-chase in women’s ODI history.

India’s bowlers, though, did make a late attempt to drag their side back into the contest, reducing Australia to 303/7 in the 46th over even after the visitors were in a position of command at 265/3 in over No.39.

Young left-arm orthodox Shree Charani (3/41) and her senior spin colleague Deepti Sharma (2/52) did their best to keep India in the game, but off-spinner Sneh Rana and the quicks bled runs as Alyssa feasted on them, finishing with 21 boundaries and three maximums.

Australia did find themselves in a spot of bother after being seven down. But Perry, returning to the crease at the end of the 43rd over — after retiring hurt earlier on 32 — ensured to come up with the finishing act.

Earlier, half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana (80) and Pratika Rawal (75) laid the foundation for India to post a total of 330 after being put in. Together, they hammered 155 in just 24.3 overs to set it up for the rest of the batters.

India were en route to reaching 350 or closer when Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh took the total to 294/4 in the 43rd over. Medium-pacer Annabel Sutherland (5/40) then dismissed Richa, and thereafter, India lost their remaining five wickets for only 36 in the next 5.5 overs, failing to play their quota of 50 overs.

First to 1,000

Vice-captain Smriti, on Sunday, became the first player in women’s ODIs to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year. The 29-year-old also completed 5,000 runs in women’s ODIs, becoming only the fifth and second Indian batter after Mithali Raj to achieve the feat.

She is the youngest and fastest to the milestone, reaching it in 112 innings and 5,569 balls, surpassing Stafanie Taylor’s 129 innings and Suzie Bates’ 6,182 balls.

Smriti reached the 1,000-run landmark in the eighth over when she hit Sophie Molineux for a four, a six and a four in an over that yielded India 18 runs. She broke the long-standing record of Australia’s Belinda Clark (970 runs in 1997), who had previously been the highest run-getter in a calendar year in women’s ODIs.

Brief scores: India Women 330 in 48.5 ovs (Smriti Mandhana 80, Pratika Rawal 75; Annabel Sutherland 5/40). Australia Women 331/7 in 49 ovs (Alyssa Healy 142, Ellyse Perry 47 n.o.; Shree Charani 3/41). Australia Women won by 3 wickets.