Australia Sets a New Benchmark as Captain Alyssa Healy Confronts Her Ultimate Challenge.
It's tough for Australia to achieve unprecedented feats.
The greatest achievements have long been mastered.
This is the team that has won seven Cricket World Cups, in addition to an additional six T20 titles, and previously enjoyed over three years unbeaten in 50-over cricket.
The remaining milestones, targeted by the record chasers, are what's still available for a side that has won it all.
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That it took up to Sunday's success by three wickets over India for them to accomplish their maiden ODI chase exceeding 300, reclaiming their record for the highest in the female 50-over format, is, frankly, a compliment to the pitchers that have represented Australia over five decades.
It is hard for their hitters to possess a record if never given the opportunity.
In the end, the result of Australia giving up 330 runs was leader Alyssa Healy getting an opportunity to create her newest gem.
Initially recognized as the teenage relative of famous ex Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she first played in 2010 after Australia failed to win either of the 20 or 50-over World Cups held the previous year and has witnessed all through 15 championship-filled years since.
A T20 championship victory arrived three months after her debut and seven world titles have resulted from 10 tries across formats.
The tough gloveman was also there in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final setback by India briefly halted the run of success.
That loss "drove us to rethink our standards," Healy stated recently.
At the next 50-over World Cup in New Zealand, Healy made 170 against England in the title decider and was named player of the tournament. She made sure her country would not fail again.
Whether this newest brilliant performance surpassed that earlier display remains open for discussion.
Many contend the case for final game tension. Different voices suggest with the difficulty that comes when pursuing an unprecedented total and a loud pro-India audience of 20,000.
What's definite is this hundred was far harder to see coming.
The New Zealand onslaught in 2022 happened while she led the batting statistics, but this innings was preceded by six games in India from the beginning of the previous month in which she had been unable to reach 30.
"For those following me in training, it's been a disappointing period because I feel like my form was missing completely," commented Healy.
"But once you take the field, your competitive instincts kick in and you simply focus on the match."
Healy's competitiveness has continuously been her major advantage - and a priceless quality in replacing famous previous leader Meg Lanning.
She was tormented by India's rising star Kranti Gaud in the previous month's ODI series, out to the young fast bowler in each encounter, but here that only provided Healy's spark.
One run resulted off Gaud's first delivery and from that point Healy was in motion.
"A chance to go out there and engage in competition with her and simply enjoy myself that way, sort of got me going," stated Healy.
She achieved fifty in 35 pitches - her quickest at the World Cup - and her century in 84 as she flogged anything short, striking 21 boundaries and three maximums.
Once she was removed the team required another 66 at a run-a-ball - an achievable target now demanding an easy conclusion.
"Pursuing 330 is unfamiliar ground so I am glad we have the belief to do that now," added Healy.
"Preferably we shouldn't have to do it another time but, if we do, we are confident we can do it."
Those words will be the final thing competing nations at this tournament need to hear.
In recent days a sense they will win from any position has only strengthened - this success coming after success over Pakistan by 107 run margin despite being 76-7 at one point.
Subsequently Australia meet Bangladesh before a match against longtime competitors England in Indore in 10 days, by which point a semi-final berth may likely be confirmed.
It was in the semi-finals they were eliminated from the prior year's T20 World Cup in a surprising setback by South Africa - a game Healy couldn't play because of damaged tissue in her foot as she captained her nation for the first time at a major tournament.
Such is her determination, she later said she wished she had played through the pain.
However although she later admitted those physical issues have pushed back consideration of ending her career, this tournament is expected to be her final tournament as skipper in 50-over cricket and she is yet to win a world championship as captain.
Triumph in India would take her to the summit of her last major obstacle.