Chandigarh:, Sept. 16 -- The three-match ODI series against Australia did not get off to an ideal start for the Indian women's cricket team on Sunday. The visitors cruised to an eight-wicket win and in the process showed how professional and experienced they are as a unit.

So, where did India lose the plot in the first ODI? For starters, on a batting track, they needed to score in excess of 300 runs to put Australia under pressure. They ended up with 281/7. The Indian openers, Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana reached the 100-run mark in 17.3 overs but after the latter was dismissed on 58 off 63 balls, they failed to get on with things.

Rawal adopted a defensive approach and eventually top-scored with 64 but took 96 balls to do so with ...