The Australian Team Breaks New Ground as Captain Alyssa Healy Faces One Final Mountain.
It's tough for Australia to break new ground.
The top summits have long been mastered.
This is the team that has secured seven Cricket World Cups, in addition to another six T20 titles, and once went 1,294 days undefeated in 50-over cricket.
The alternative records, the ones sought by the record chasers, are what's still available for a side that has won it all.
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It needed as late as Sunday's success by three wickets over India for them to achieve their initial ODI chase exceeding 300, regaining their record for the largest in the women's 50-over format, is, honestly, a compliment to the pitchers that have worn canary yellow over five decades.
It's challenging for their hitters to hold a record if never given the opportunity.
In the end, the consequence of Australia allowing 330 runs was leader Alyssa Healy getting a platform to create her latest masterpiece.
Then best known as the teenage relative of celebrated previous Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she made her debut in 2010 after her nation couldn't capture either of the T20 or ODI World Cups conducted earlier and has witnessed all through 15 championship-filled years since.
A T20 championship victory happened three months after her bow and seven world titles have followed from 10 efforts across formats.
The gritty keeper was also there in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final defeat by India temporarily stopped the winning streak.
That loss "pushed us to reconsider our benchmarks," Healy said this week.
At the following one-day championship in New Zealand, Healy hit 170 against England in the title decider and was awarded tournament MVP. She made sure her country would not come up short.
If this newest brilliant performance exceeded that prior achievement is debatable.
Certain people claim the reasoning behind championship match pressure. Some might respond with the test that comes when pursuing an unprecedented total and a raucous India-supporting crowd of 20,000.
What's clear is this century was considerably tougher to see coming.
The New Zealand onslaught in 2022 occurred when she was the highest scorer, but this knock was preceded by six games in India since the start of last month in which she had not exceeded 30 runs.
"If you've been watching me in training, it has been a challenging time because it appeared I've had no rhythm completely," stated Healy.
"However when you take the field, your competitive instincts take over and you simply focus on the match."
Healy's competitiveness has continuously been her major advantage - and a priceless quality in taking over from famous previous leader Meg Lanning.
She was tormented by India's promising player Kranti Gaud in recent ODI series, fallen to the 22-year-old seamer in each encounter, but on this occasion it simply offered Healy's motivation.
A single came off Gaud's first delivery and from there the batsman was underway.
"A chance to go out there and engage in competition with her and merely enjoy the moment in that regard, kind of motivated me," commented Healy.
She achieved fifty in 35 pitches - her swiftest at a World Cup - and her century in 84 balls as she punished short deliveries, scoring 21 fours and three big hits.
Once she was removed the team needed 66 more at a run-a-ball - an unconquered height now needing a comfortable finish.
"Chasing 330 runs is uncharted waters so I'm happy we have the belief to accomplish that now," added Healy.
"Hopefully we don't have to do it another time but, if necessary, we know we can succeed."
That comment will be the ultimate thing competing nations at this championship need to hear.
During the last week a feeling they will win from any position has only strengthened - this triumph coming after victory over Pakistan by 107-run victory despite being 76-7 at one stage.
Next Australia play Bangladesh before a meeting with traditional opponents England in Indore in 10 days, by which point a semi-final berth may well be secure.
It was at that stage they were eliminated from the previous year's T20 World Cup in a shock defeat by South Africa - a game Healy couldn't play because of damaged tissue in her foot as she captained her nation for the inaugural occasion at a major tournament.
So great is her will, she afterwards commented she regretted not playing with the discomfort.
However although she afterwards confessed those injuries have pushed back consideration of ending her career, this tournament is expected to be her last as captain in one-day cricket and she is yet to win a global event as skipper.
Victory in India would take her to the summit of her final mountain.