Women eye turnaround vs Aussies

Hobart: Outplayed in the series-opener, reigning world champions India would aim for an improved batting effort in the second women’s ODI against Australia to keep the three-match rubber alive here on Friday.

Having won the T20 series 2-1, a below-par India started the ODI contests on a disappointing note, losing by six wickets in Brisbane. The Indian women’s team has never won a bilateral ODI series against Australia. Australia have dominated the rivalry against India in this format, having won all 11 of the bilateral ODI series between the two sides, including a 3-0 win in late 2024 and a 2-1 victory in September 2025.

In the lung-opener here, India were not upto the challenge and were bundled out for a paltry 214.

Barring vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (58), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (53) and Kahsvee Gautam (43), no other batter could produce substantial knocks and struggled against Australia.