AUS W vs IND W 2026: There’s a belief now that we can beat anybody in the world, says Arundhati Reddy

India Women are brimming with confidence following their ODI World Cup triumph and have begun their tour of Australia in emphatic fashion at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia Women were bowled out for just 133, courtesy of a disciplined and incisive bowling performance from the visitors.

Arundhati Reddy was the standout performer, registering career-best figures of 4/22 and dismantling the Australian batting line-up with remarkable precision. In response, India made a brisk start to their chase and were comfortably ahead of the DLS target when rain intervened shortly after the mandatory five overs were completed.

“I think the Indian team has been playing really good cricket in the last few years. We’ve always come very close and not won games, but I think there’s a belief in the team now that we can beat anybody in this world. I think that’s the confidence that helps us and we want to continue that,” said Reddy as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Despite losing two wickets in the powerplay, Australia were comfortably placed at 68 for 2 after seven overs and appeared to be building a strong platform. However, the momentum shifted dramatically following a stunning catch by captain Harmanpreet Kaur to dismiss Ellyse Perry off Reddy’s bowling.

That breakthrough triggered a dramatic collapse, with Australia losing eight wickets for just 65 runs. Although Georgia Wareham and Nicola Carey attempted to steady the innings with a brief recovery, the resistance did not last long. The final five wickets tumbled for a mere 12 runs.

“Perry is a big wicket, you want to get her early and I think that catch changed the momentum for us. I think they lost a couple of wickets after that. She’s a wonderful fielder and obviously it’s great that she took that one and gave us the momentum going ahead in the innings,” said Reddy.

Reddy also lauded the efforts of Renuka Singh, who set the tone with an outstanding spell in the powerplay. Renuka bowled three consecutive overs at the start of the innings, including a maiden. She finished with impressive figures of 2/14 in her four overs, claiming the key wickets of Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland.

“I thought she was outstanding today. To bowl a maiden … and to Phoebe Litchfield, I think that was an extraordinary over. Obviously she’s been a quality player for India in the last quite a few years and again, she showed a lot of her experience today. Even in between, we were chatting a lot about what’s the right lengths to hit on these wickets for our type of bowlers. Again, I think a lot of credit should be given to her. I think that spell was outstanding,” said Reddy.

For Reddy, the spell marked back-to-back career-best performances in Australia. It followed her impressive 4 for 26 in an ODI at the WACA in 2024, where she dismantled the top order by dismissing Phoebe Litchfield, Perry, Georgia Voll, and Mooney.

“I love Australia, it’s the country I enjoy the most. I think when we landed here, just the vibes I get. Growing up I used to watch a lot of Test matches, Ashes in Australia, and used to always want to come here and play cricket. Obviously I enjoy this place, last time around it was good and I’ve started off well and hopefully I’ll continue doing it,” said Reddy.