India win last two matches

Mithali Raj guided India to a six-wicket victory at Vadodara © Getty Images

Mithali Raj, India's captain, scored a superb unbeaten 92 to give her side a six-wicket victory in the sixth one-day international against Australia. But the match was a dead rubber, as Australia had already secured the series the previous match. Raj came in with at 3 for 1 and guided India past Australia's challenging 185 in just under three hours at the crease. She put on 109 for the third wicket with Hemlata Kala, who hit two sixes but only one four in her innings of 41. But no one had to face Lisa Keightley, whose bowling had proved so incisive in earlier matches - she was wicketkeeping as Australia decided to experiment with their batting order.

Australia reached 184 from their 50 overs mainly thanks to Lisa Sthalekar, who made 43 from 63 balls. Although Keightley and Belinda Clark, two of the side's more experienced players, put on 70 for the first wicket, both were dismissed within four balls of each other. The Blackwell twins, Kathryn and Alex, provided the finishing touches with run-a-ball cameos, but it wasn't enough when Raj made a covenant to win.

Nooshin Al Khader and Amita Sharma took advantage of a bowler-friendly pitch to take three wickets apiece and help India to an emphatic 88-run victory over Australia at Madras. India won the last two matches of the seven-match series, to make it 4-3 overall.

India began the match brightly, with Anju Jain and Monica Sumra putting on 70 for the first wicket before Sumra was run out by Kathryn Blackwell. Amita Sharma and Hemlata Kala were the only Indian batsmen to make double figures, as Cathryn Fitzpatrick returned to take four wickets in her second spell to finish with 4 for 33. India spluttered to 165 for 9 from their 50 overs.

After having already secured the series two matches previously, Australia decided to experiment with their line-up. But their decision backfired badly, as they slumped to a humiliating 31 for 7 after 19 overs. The opener Lisa Keightley, who had earlier kept wicket for Australia fell for a first-ball duck and things did not get much better. At least Julie Hayes stood firm for over an hour before she was last out for 22 as Australia were dismissed for 77.