Early in the morning on Day 3, Pratika Rawal became the first Indian batter to face 100 deliveries in this match, shortly after playing a stylish pull shot – the front leg off the ground, the backfoot firmly planted, and the timing perfect. A few minutes later, as she cut the ball to point and took a single, she reached her first half-century in Test cricket. Almost reluctantly, she lifted her bat as the stadium announcer confirmed the milestone, evidently not too keen on celebrating the milestone, given the grim match situation. But deep down, it must have been a deeply satisfying moment, and a vindication for the hard work. Alas, that was India’s only bright spot on Sunday in Perth, as the multi-format series against Australia came to a tame end after such a bright start in the T20Is. India’s tour unravelled after that, as they were blown away in the three ODIs and the one-off Test in Perth. Pratika’s 63 off 137 balls delayed the inevitable, at least ensuring that Australia would have to bat again. But with a meagre target of 25, the hosts sealed the deal with 10 wickets to spare, sending off captain Alyssa Healy on a winning note in her final appearance. When she landed in Australia, after being cleared for selection in the ODIs and Test, Pratika had told BCCI in an interview: “Good to be back on my feet, literally.” It had been a tough couple of months for the right-hander, after being forced out of the World Cup due to an injury before India’s semi-final. She, in fact, recalled watching Jemimah Rodrigues’ semi-final knock against Australia at the DY Patil Stadium through the window of the hotel room, being in immense pain on a wheelchair. Defiant knock It was those feet that helped Pratika negotiate the Australian threat during a tough session under lights on Saturday night, and for a large part of Sunday morning. There was one moment in the final session of Day 2 when she shouldered arms to a hooping inswinger from Annabel Sutherland and was trapped in front, shouldering arms. Given out, it was DRS that saved her, as the ball was deemed to bounce too high. After that, however, Pratika played with an assurance and calm temperament that we have come to associate with her during her successful start to life in ODIs. Despite losing Rana to a dream offspinner’s delivery from Gardner and Kashvee Gautam to a magnificent Alana King delivery, Pratika kept at it. “Meditative state,” as former Australia opener Justin Langer put it on air, is where Pratika seemed to be at. Every now and then, she’d pull off a shot for the highlight reel too, like a backfoot punch against Ash Gardner – who was getting plenty of bounce from the WACA surface – rocking back in the crease to push the ball through cover. Also Read | Amol Muzumdar lauds India’s debutants despite 10-wicket loss in pink-ball Test against Australia: ‘Really happy with the fight’ But, as Harmanpreet Kaur reflected in her post-match interview, such moments were few and far between for Indian batters in the last four matches of the tour. The focus for this year remains firmly on T20Is, and India can take the positives out of defeating the world No 1 in their backyard. Healy, in fact, said in her farewell speech that she hoped to see India and Australia compete in the title clash of the T20 World Cup in England later in this year. Coach Amol Muzumdar and Harmanpreet, however, would do well to address the concerns that emerged in the longer formats during this Australian tour. Story continues below this ad Brief scores: India 198 & 149 (Pratika Rawal 63, Lucy Hamilton 3/32) lost to Australia 323 & 28/0 (Georgia Voll 16*, Phoebe Litchfield 11*) by 10 wickets
On her comeback trail, Pratika Rawal shows grit, but India’s Australia tour ends with Perth hammering in Alyssa Healy’s farewell
