The Australian Team Breaks New Ground as Healy Has One Peak Left to Climb.
It's a challenge for Australia to set fresh records.
The highest peaks have already been conquered.
We're talking about the team that has secured seven Cricket World Cups, along with six more T20 titles, and earlier maintained 1,294 days without defeat in 50-over cricket.
The secondary achievements, the ones sought by the achievement hunters, are all that remain for a team that has won it all.
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It needed as late as Sunday's victory by three wickets over India for them to achieve their initial ODI chase over 300, reclaiming their record for the biggest in the female 50-over format, is, frankly, a compliment to the pitchers that have sported the yellow jersey over the last half-century.
It's challenging for their batsmen to maintain a record if not provided the chance.
Ultimately, the outcome of Australia giving up 330 runs was leader Alyssa Healy being given a platform to produce her newest gem.
Initially recognized as the young family member 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 conducted earlier and has experienced everything through 15 championship-filled years since.
Success in the T20 World Cup happened three months after her bow and seven international trophies have come from 10 attempts across formats.
The gritty keeper was also there in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final defeat by India momentarily interrupted the run of success.
That loss "motivated us to rethink our standards," Healy said this week.
At the following one-day championship in New Zealand, Healy made 170 against England in the championship match and was declared player of the series. She made sure her country would not come up short.
Whether this latest epic knock topped that previous effort can be debated.
Certain people claim the case for the pressure of a final. Others can counter 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 Christchurch carnage in 2022 occurred when she led the batting statistics, but this knock followed six innings in India over the past few weeks in which she had not exceeded 30 runs.
"If you've been watching me in training, it's been a challenging time because I feel like I lacked timing completely," stated Healy.
"Yet the moment you take the field, your competitive instincts activate and you completely engage with the contest."
Healy's competitiveness has consistently been her key asset - and an invaluable trait in taking over from legendary former captain Meg Lanning.
She was challenged by India's rising star Kranti Gaud in the previous month's ODI series, dismissed by the young fast bowler in every game, but this time it merely gave Healy's motivation.
A single came off Gaud's first delivery and after that the batsman was in motion.
"The possibility to take the field and face the challenge with her and just have a bit of fun that way, sort of got me going," stated Healy.
She reached fifty in 35 pitches - her swiftest at the global tournament - and her ton in 84 balls as she punished short deliveries, striking 21 boundaries and three maximums.
By the time she was dismissed Australia needed 66 more at run per delivery - an achievable target now needing a comfortable finish.
"Pursuing 330 is uncharted waters so I'm happy we have the belief to accomplish that now," stated Healy further.
"Ideally we won't need to repeat it but, if necessary, we are confident we can succeed."
These statements will be the last rival teams at this tournament need to hear.
During the last week a feeling they will triumph from any situation has only strengthened - this victory succeeding win against Pakistan by 107-run victory despite sitting at 76-7 at a certain moment.
Next Australia play Bangladesh before a match against traditional opponents England in Indore in ten days, by which point a semi-final berth may well be secure.
It was at that stage they exited last year's T20 World Cup in a surprising setback by South Africa - an encounter Healy couldn't play because of damaged tissue in her foot as she guided Australia for the inaugural occasion at an important competition.
Such is her determination, she afterwards commented she wanted to have participated despite the injury.
However although she afterwards confessed those physical issues have postponed consideration of ending her career, this championship is expected to be her concluding event as leader in 50-over cricket and she is still to achieve a world championship as leader.
Success in India would lead her to the peak of her last major obstacle.
