The Australian Team Establishes a Fresh Record as Healy Has One Peak Left to Climb.
It's tough for Australia to break new ground.
The top summits have long been mastered.
This is the unit that has claimed seven Cricket World Cups, along with an additional six T20 titles, and earlier maintained over three years unbeaten in 50-over cricket.
The secondary achievements, the ones sought by the achievement hunters, are what's still available for a side that has achieved everything.
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That it took up to Sunday's victory by three wickets over India for them to complete their first ODI chase exceeding 300, regaining their record for the highest in the female 50-over format, is, in truth, a testament to the bowling attack that have sported the yellow jersey over five decades.
It is hard for their batsmen to possess a record if not provided the opportunity.
In the end, the consequence of Australia giving up 330 runs was skipper Alyssa Healy receiving an opportunity to deliver her latest masterpiece.
Then best known as the 19-year-old niece of celebrated previous Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she made her debut in 2010 after her nation didn't secure either of the 20 or 50-over World Cups held the previous year and has seen it all through 15 championship-filled years since.
A T20 championship victory happened three months after her debut and seven international trophies have followed from 10 attempts across formats.
The tough gloveman was also there in Derby in 2017 when a last-four loss by India temporarily stopped the successful run.
That loss "motivated us to reconsider our benchmarks," Healy said this week.
At the subsequent ODI World Cup in New Zealand, Healy hit 170 against England in the final and was named player of the tournament. She ensured her country would not come up short.
Whether this newest brilliant performance surpassed that earlier display can be debated.
Many contend the case for championship match pressure. Others can counter with the difficulty that comes when confronting a historic chase and an enthusiastic Indian fanbase of 20,000.
What's definite is this hundred was far harder to anticipate.
The Christchurch carnage in 2022 occurred when she topped the run-scoring charts, but this performance was preceded by six games in India since the start of last month in which she had failed to pass 30.
"If you've been watching me in training, it has been a challenging time because it appeared I've had no rhythm at all," stated Healy.
"However when you enter the playing area, your competitive nature activate and you just lock into the contest."
Healy's fighting spirit has always been her great strength - and a priceless quality in replacing legendary former captain Meg Lanning.
She was challenged by India's emerging talent Kranti Gaud in the previous month's ODI series, fallen to the emerging pace bowler in each encounter, but on this occasion it simply offered Healy's motivation.
A single was taken off the bowler's initial ball and from that point Healy was in motion.
"The possibility to go out there and engage in competition with her and merely enjoy the moment in that aspect, sort of got me going," commented Healy.
She achieved fifty in 35 pitches - her swiftest at the World Cup - and her ton in 84 deliveries while she punished short deliveries, hitting 21 fours and three sixes.
Once she was dismissed the team needed 66 additional runs at one run per ball - an achievable target now demanding an easy conclusion.
"To chase 330 is new territory so I'm happy we have the assurance to achieve that now," added Healy.
"Hopefully we don't have to do it another time but, should it happen, we know we can succeed."
That comment will be the final thing rival teams at this championship need to hear.
In recent days a sense they will triumph from any situation has become more firm - this success coming after win against Pakistan by 107-run victory despite struggling at 76-7 at a certain moment.
Subsequently Australia meet Bangladesh before a meeting with longtime competitors England in Indore in 10 days, by which point a semi-final berth may likely be confirmed.
It was at that stage they left the prior year's T20 World Cup in an unexpected loss by South Africa - a match Healy missed because of ruptured tissue in her foot as she guided Australia for the first time at a major tournament.
So great is her will, she later said she wanted to have participated through the pain.
Yet even as she later admitted those fitness problems have pushed back thoughts of retirement, this World Cup is anticipated as her concluding event as leader in 50-over cricket and she is yet to win a global event as skipper.
Victory in India would take her to the summit of her last major obstacle.
