Pink ball Test ends in a draw

Resuming the day at 143 for three in the first innings, Ellyse Perry (68 not out) and Ashleigh Gardner (51) went on to share an 89-run stand before the India pacers triggered a batting collapse, reducing Australia to 241 for nine from 208 for four.

What followed was an interesting declaration from Meg Lanning at the stroke of dinner. India, which made 377 in its first innings, played 35 overs in the second before declaring after tea to set Australia an improbable 272-run target in 32 overs. Shafali Verma made a fine 52 off 91 balls while Punam Raut remained unbeaten on 41 off 62 balls.

The target was virtually out of reach for Australia, which lost both Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney cheaply. Australia was 36 for two in 15 overs before players of both teams shook hands to settle for a draw.

As per the rules of multi-format series, the teams settled for two points each. The series score stands at 6-4 in Australia’s favour. More than 80 overs were lost due to weather over the first two days, making draw the most likely outcome of the four-day match.