Australia’s newest pace sensation, Lucy Hamilton, made an immediate impact on her Test debut against India on Friday, producing a stunning inswinger to dismiss star opener Smriti Mandhana for just four runs in the pink-ball one-off Test in Perth. India began their innings with the experienced opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, but the start was far from ideal.

In just the sixth over, the hosts struck an early breakthrough, putting immediate pressure on the visitors. Facing 19-year-old left-arm pacer Lucy Hamilton, Mandhana was undone by a beautifully shaped fuller delivery.

The ball swung sharply back into the batter, sneaking through a sizeable gap between bat and pad before crashing into the middle stump. The dismissal left Mandhana walking back for four off 13 balls and gave Australia early momentum in the contest.

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India attempted to rebuild through No.3 batter Pratika Rawal, who started confidently by striking a boundary off the second delivery she faced from Hamilton. However, her stay at the crease was short-lived. Rawal scored 18 off 35 balls before falling to the experienced Annabel Sutherland.

This has got to be up there with some of the great first Test wickets in history!

Lucy Hamilton goes straight through Smriti Mandhana 😱@nrmainsurance | #PlayoftheDay | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/lc7rHuOBDw

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 6, 2026

The early wickets continued to hurt India as Shafali Verma (35 off 48) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (19 off 15) also departed in quick succession, leaving the visitors struggling at 84/4 in the 23rd over.

The one-off Test carries significant importance in the ongoing multi-format series between India’s women’s national cricket team and Australia’s women’s national cricket team. Teams earn two points for victories in ODIs and T20Is, while the Test match offers four points.

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India earlier collected four points by winning the T20I series 2-1 but suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI leg, trailing 8-4 overall. A win in Perth would therefore level the series at 8-8. Historically, India has struggled in Tests against Australia, winning just one of their 11 encounters — their most recent meeting in December 2023.