The Australian Team Breaks New Ground as Healy Faces One Final Mountain.
It's a challenge for the Australian squad to achieve unprecedented feats.
The top summits have long been mastered.
This is the team that has secured seven Cricket World Cups, along with an additional six T20 titles, and earlier maintained over three years without defeat in 50-over cricket.
The remaining milestones, targeted by the record chasers, are all that remain for a team that has accomplished all there is.
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The fact it required up to Sunday's victory by three wickets over India for them to complete their first ODI chase exceeding 300, reclaiming their record for the highest in the female 50-over format, is, honestly, a testament to the pitchers that have sported the yellow jersey over five decades.
It's difficult for their hitters to maintain a record if never given the opportunity.
Finally, the result of Australia conceding 330 was leader Alyssa Healy receiving a platform to deliver her newest gem.
Initially recognized as the young family member of celebrated previous Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she made her debut in 2010 after Australia couldn't capture either of the T20 or ODI World Cups conducted earlier and has experienced everything through 15 championship-filled years since.
A T20 World Cup win happened three months after her bow and seven international trophies have followed from 10 tries across formats.
The determined wicketkeeper was in attendance in Derby in 2017 when a last-four loss by India momentarily interrupted the run of success.
That loss "drove 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 final and was awarded tournament MVP. She made sure her country would not fail again.
The question of whether this latest epic knock surpassed that earlier display is debatable.
Some will argue the argument supporting the pressure of a final. Some might respond with the challenge that comes when confronting a historic chase and a loud pro-India audience of 20,000.
What's definite is this century was far harder to anticipate.
The New Zealand onslaught in 2022 occurred when she was the highest scorer, but this knock came after six matches in India since the start of last month in which she had been unable to reach 30.
"If you've observed me in training, it has been a disappointing period because I feel like my form was missing at all," stated Healy.
"Yet the moment you enter the playing area, your competitive nature activate and you simply focus on the competition."
Healy's fighting spirit has always been her key asset - and an irreplaceable characteristic in replacing legendary former captain Meg Lanning.
She was challenged by India's emerging talent Kranti Gaud in the previous month's ODI series, out to the 22-year-old seamer in each encounter, but this time it merely gave Healy's inspiration.
A single came off the bowler's initial ball and from that point the right-hander was underway.
"A chance to go out there and engage in competition with her and just have a bit of fun that way, somewhat inspired me," commented Healy.
She got to fifty in 35 pitches - her swiftest at the World Cup - and her hundred in 84 balls as she punished short deliveries, scoring 21 fours and three sixes.
When she was dismissed Australia needed 66 more at one run per ball - a manageable total now demanding an easy conclusion.
"Chasing 330 runs is uncharted waters so I am glad we have the belief to do that now," stated Healy further.
"Hopefully we don't have to repeat it but, if necessary, we know we can do it."
Those words will be the final thing Australia's opponents at this tournament want to hear.
In recent days a feeling they will triumph from any situation has become more firm - this victory coming after victory over Pakistan by 107 run margin despite sitting at 76-7 at a certain moment.
Next Australia play Bangladesh before a meeting with longtime competitors England in Indore in a week and a half, by which point a semi-final place may well be secure.
During that phase they exited the prior year's T20 World Cup in an unexpected loss by South Africa - an encounter Healy couldn't play because of torn tissue in her foot as she led her country for the first time at a major tournament.
So strong is her resolve, she subsequently stated she regretted not playing through the pain.
Yet even as she subsequently acknowledged those fitness problems have pushed back thoughts of retirement, this World Cup is likely to be her last as captain in one-day cricket and she is hasn't yet secured a global event as leader.
Victory in India would lead her to the peak of her last major obstacle.