Perth, March 7 (NationPress) Renowned seam-bowling all-rounder Ellyse Perry expressed her delight at being in the game after she achieved the milestone of becoming Australia's highest run-scorer in women's Tests during the second day of the one-off pink-ball match against India at the WACA Ground on Saturday.

The 35-year-old Perry surpassed Karen Rolton's previous record of 1,002 Test runs by reaching the 1,000-run mark with a single before driving a boundary to secure her place in history. She was later dismissed lbw by Deepti Sharma after scoring 76 runs, bringing her total to 1,006 runs in the longer format.

“It certainly feels like I've been playing for a while! But it was such an enjoyable experience batting alongside Annabel Sutherland. She's incredibly talented, and watching her perform from the other end was truly fantastic,” said Ellyse during a conversation with broadcasters at the tea break.

The pair added 128 runs for the third wicket, a partnership that significantly tilted the match's momentum in favor of Australia, giving them a 19-run lead by the end of the first session. “Last night was a bit challenging, but I felt we started to gain some momentum towards the end of that session,” she added.

“We anticipated that it might be tough to begin this morning, but we expected the conditions to become more favorable for scoring. Given that the quicks bowled many overs last night, we thought we might have more opportunities today to find our rhythm. Annabel was exceptional in that partnership, and we really enjoyed building it together.”

Ellyse remarked that the conditions were more conducive than on the first day. “There wasn't as much seam movement today. While the odd ball did nip a bit, last night it felt like every ball was moving unpredictably, making it tough to read,” she stated.

“Today felt more reliable. You could play your shots with greater confidence. There also seemed to be more spin on the pitch now, which is promising for an engaging contest for the remainder of the match. Overall, it just felt easier to execute our shots.”

Ellyse, who has claimed 39 Test wickets, is now the only woman to have scored over 1,000 runs and taken more than 30 wickets in this format. Looking to the future, she mentioned that Australia's batting depth could be a crucial factor in capitalizing on their advantage.

“Our batting order is very deep. It will be fascinating to see how we approach the situation. Hopefully, over the next couple of sessions, we can establish a strong position that will allow us to take an aggressive stance with the ball later on. Exciting times ahead for Annabel – and fingers crossed for a successful next session for us,” she concluded.