Wilson, Learoyd, Knott star as Australia A chase down 339

In the second unofficial women's ODI in Mohali, Captain Tahlia Wilson's 79 runs, along with Anika Learoyd's 54 runs off 29 balls and Charli Knott's 63 runs off 37 balls, helped Australia A chase down a daunting 339-run target in the final over against India A.

Yastika Bhatia struck 112 off 84 balls, including 16 fours and two sixes, to give India A a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Before the Bhatia show started, Priya Punia and Tanisha Singh first added 58 runs for the first wicket. Together with Tanisha, she contributed 60 runs for the second wicket, and she and Tejal Hasabnis shared a 124-run partnership.

Bhatia raced past fifty in just 45 balls and upped her scoring rate soon after. In the 32nd over, she defeated Knott with two fours to propel India A past 200. In the following over, she defeated Knott with two fours and a six to score a 79-ball century.

After Bhatia was bowled out in the 36th over, it was Anushka Sharma's turn to wreak havoc, scoring an unbeaten 60 from 46 balls to reduce India A to 338 for 6. Darcie Brown went 3 for 39 for Australia, and Milly Illingworth went 2 for 44.

Australia A lost Nicole Faltum fairly early in the chase, but Learoyd counterattacked brilliantly. She dominated a 76-run second-wicket stand with Wilson, crashing nine fours and two sixes before being stumped off Minnu Mani. After that, Wilson and Knott contributed 92 runs for the third wicket in 10.3 overs, and Australia A passed 200 in just 25 overs. India A came back with quick wickets as Australia A cruised to victory with the required rate below six an over.

Wilson and Knott were replaced by Mani, and Katie Mack was replaced by Vaishnavi Sharma. As a result, Australia fell to 219 for 5 from 202 for 2. However, Tess Flintoff and Hayley Silver-Holmes performed admirably in a 65-run sixth-wicket partnership.

Illingworth scored an unbeaten 22 off 14 to propel Australia A to victory with three balls remaining and level the series at 1-1. There was another brief collapse in the innings.