Australia cruise to Test win to farewell Healy

There was no final farewell innings for Alyssa Healy, but Australia's spinners ensured her international career ended on a triumphant note, as the hosts closed out a dominant 10-wicket win early on day three in Perth.

Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King took two wickets apiece to wrap up India's innings for 149 in a little over an hour on Sunday morning at the WACA Ground, with first drop Pratika Rawal the final wicket to fall following her dogged 137-ball innings of 63.

That left Australia needing just 25 wins to wrap up victory.

All eyes were trained on Healy, wondering if sentiment would prevail and see the retiring captain promoted up the order for one final international innings.

Healy, however, was content to leave it to the new guard of Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield.

Voll avoided a duck when she overturned an early lbw call and Litchfield was dropped on nine, but it took the pair of 22-year-olds just 4.3 overs to seal the 10-wicket win.

Healy, who remained hidden from sight in the dressing room through the brief chase - later admitting the emotion of her retirement had struck - reemerged to shake hands with the India players before she was chaired off the field by Ellyse Perry and Gardner.

Australia finish as emphatic winners of the multi-format series, having recovered from a 2-4 deficit following the T20I leg to take out the overall trophy 12 points to four.

Asked if she had been tempted to open the batting, Healy joked, "No, no, I've got to protect my average of 20."

On a more serious note, she added: "We're watching the future of Australian cricket walk out there and open and I didn't want to get in the way of that. I've had my time in the sun, it's time for the next generation to showcase what they can do."

Reflecting on her final four matches in the green and gold and the overall series win, Healy said she was "really, really pleased with that effort".

"Bouncing back from the T20 series (which India won 2-1) I sensed that coming into the group there was a little bit of disappointment, a little bit of uncertainty, but the way that they responded and came out and played in the last four fixtures has been unbelievable," Healy said.

"I'm really proud and there's great signs for the future.

"Honestly, it hit me just before that I don't get to come back into that change room again and be around the girls.

"I'm going to enjoy the next bit and sing the team song one last time ... but I'm genuinely really excited to watch this group of amazing people moving forward.

"I think they're going to achieve some great things and I might turn into that bitter ex-player and tell him how to do stuff better .... just kidding everyone!"

Reflecting on a tour that started with great promise, as India inflicted Australia's first bilateral T20 series loss on home soil in almost a decade, before ending in a run of four defeats, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said: "We started really well playing really good cricket. We were not able to continue, it was a good series overall. A great fight.

"Tests are something we all want to play ... the pink ball was very challenging but in the future hopefully we get more of these challenges."

On Saturday night it had been the Australia quicks wreaking havoc under lights to have India six down at stumps, and on Sunday morning it was the spinners doing the damage.

Pratika Rawal resumed on 43 alongside Sneh Rana (14no), with India six down and looking to erase the final 20 runs of Australia's first-innings lead and start building a target.

They dug in through the first 40 minutes of the day, putting India seven runs ahead before the introduction of Ashleigh Gardner to the attack got the desired result, as Sneh Rana was clean bowled for 30, breaking the 50-run seventh-wicket stand.

Alana King got the eighth via a superb delivery that spun sharply away from Kashvee Gautam, catching the edge as Healy held on at slip.

The hometown hero got a second with a fizzing leg-break that was fended away by Sayali Satghare, popping up to Georgia Voll at silly mid-off.

Three balls later, Gardner finally ended Rawal's vigil as a diving Sutherland snaffled a catch at short fine leg, leaving Australia needing just 25 runs to complete an emphatic Test, and multi-format series, win.

NRMA Insurance Australia v India Multi-Format Series

Australia win the multi-format series 12-4

February 15: First T20: India won by 21 runs (DLS)

February 19: Second T20: Australia won by 19 runs

February 21: Third T20: India won by 17 runs

February 24: First ODI: Australia won by six wickets

February 27: Second ODI: Australia won by five wickets

March 1: Third ODI: Australia won by 185 runs

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