Australia delivered a dominant performance to defeat India by ten wickets in the one-off day-night Test at the WACA Ground in Perth, giving retiring captain Alyssa Healy a winning farewell. Although Healy did not get another opportunity to bat, Australia wrapped up the match inside three days to close the multi-format series with a decisive 12–4 points victory.
Match summary:
Australia 323 (Sutherland 129, Perry 76, Satghare 4-50) and 28/0 (Voll 16*, Litchfield 11*) beat India 198 (Rodrigues 52, Sutherland 4-46) and 149 (Rawal 63, Rana 30, Hamilton 3-32, Gardner 2-8, Sutherland 2-15, King 2-23) by ten wickets.
The match had been dominated by seam bowling across the first two days on a grassy pitch, but spinners Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner wrapped up proceedings on the third morning by claiming the final four wickets of India’s second innings.
Rawal Fights Alone on Debut
India’s resistance largely came from debutant Pratika Rawal, who scored 63 from 137 balls in a composed innings at No. 3. She was the final wicket to fall, leaving India with only a 24-run lead.
After leading her side off the field to loud applause, Healy opted not to pad up for the chase. Regular openers Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield instead walked out to begin Australia’s pursuit.
Voll was initially given out lbw to debutant Sayali Satghare in the second over, but the decision was overturned on review. Voll and Litchfield then comfortably completed the chase.
Following the victory, Healy was surrounded by teammates, with Gardner and Ellyse Perry lifting the retiring captain on their shoulders in emotional scenes.
Australia Bounce Back to Win Series
The victory marked a strong turnaround for Australia after they began the tour with a 2–1 defeat in the T20I series, which was the first series under Sophie Molineux’s captaincy.
Healy’s return helped Australia regain momentum as they swept India 3–0 in the ODI series before securing their first Test victory over India since 2006.
Annabel Sutherland delivered a standout performance in the match. She scored a commanding 129 in Australia’s first innings and finished with match figures of 6 for 61 from 23 overs, making a decisive impact with both bat and ball.
India’s Debutants Provide Positives
For India, the defeat came in their first Test appearance since mid-2024. Despite the result, the team saw promising contributions from several debutants including Pratika Rawal, Sayali Satghare, Kranti Gaud and Kashvee Gautam.
The loss was India’s first in women’s Test cricket since February 2006, when they were beaten by Australia in Adelaide, ending a run of nine unbeaten matches.
India had resumed Day 3 at 105 for 6, still needing 20 runs to force Australia to bat again. Rawal and Sneh Rana attempted to extend the innings after resisting Australia’s bowling under lights late on Day 2.
Alana King, who had bowled only three overs earlier in the match, was introduced and immediately troubled the batters with sharp turn. Rawal remained composed and reached her half-century from 105 balls.
Darcie Brown later created an opportunity when Rana edged toward second slip, but Sutherland was unable to complete a difficult one-handed catch. Rana’s innings ended soon after when Gardner bowled her following an earlier edge that had squeezed between the wicketkeeper and first slip.
Kashvee Gautam, who had scored an unbeaten 34 in the first innings, was dismissed by King for a duck before Rawal’s resistance finally ended.
Revamped WACA Hosts Memorable Test
The match also marked the official launch of the renovated WACA Ground. Spectators experienced the venue’s new facilities, including an outdoor pool and waterslides in the stands, during hot conditions in Perth.
Crowds of around 3,500 attended each of the first two days at the stadium, which now has a capacity of 10,000.
Australia’s emphatic victory ensured a memorable farewell for Alyssa Healy while completing a commanding multi-format series win.
