Harmanpreet Kaur-led India registered a thumping nine-wicket win with xx balls to spare against Australia in the first T20I of the three-T20I series at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai. After an improved fielding display and teenager Titas Sadhu's economical four-fer, openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana scored half-centuries to dominate the visitors and take a 1-0 lead. This is India’s second-largest win against Australia in terms of wickets in hand against Australia.
Harmanpreet won the toss and opted to bowl first. Beth Mooney hit the first four and six of the innings. Sadhu got her first wicket in the fourth over with the wicket of Mooney. She scored 17 runs from 18 balls. In the next over, Renuka Singh got rid of Australia skipper Alyssa Healy for a single-digit score. In her next over, Sadhu got rid of Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner for ducks. Australia lost four wickets for 33 runs in the powerplay overs.
In the eighth over, Phoebe Litchfield was dropped by Richa Ghosh. In the 10th over, Pooja Vastrakar was taken on by Litchfield and Ellyse Perry hitting her for one six each. In the 12th over, Litchfield got another reprieve as the ball landed between two fielders. In the next over, Litchfield smashed Amanjot Kaur for two consecutive sixes. In the 15th over, Amanjot got the breakthrough. She was dismissed for a 32-ball 49 which featured four fours and three sixes. Perry ended the over with a maximum.
On the first ball of the next over, Grace Harris was trapped in front of the wickets by Shreyanka Patil. In the 18th over, Annabel Sutherland hit Sadhu for a six. But Sadhu had the last laugh with the wicket of Sutherland. In the penultimate over, Deepti Sharma got rid of Perry. The all-rounder scored 37 runs from 30 balls including two fours and as many sixes. Deepti also dismissed Megan Schutt in the over. In the final over, Georgia Wareham started with a boundary. Patil’s second wicket helped India bowl out Australia for 141 with four balls left in the innings.
Darcie Brown started poorly. Three boundaries were scored including two leg byes and one via byes. Mandhana started off slow as she scored just three runs from the first 14 balls faced. She hit the first six of the innings off Sutherland in the third over. Then Shafali hit Schutt for two boundaries. Both batters took advantage of fielding restriction as India were 59 for no loss after powerplay overs.
Mandhana and Shafali kept on hitting boundaries as India were 86 for no loss at the halfway stage. In the 12th over, Shafali took on McGrath hitting her for a six and a four. He reached her half-century from 32 deliveries. Mandhana ended the over with a four as McGrath conceded 24 runs from it. In the 13th over, Shafali was dropped by Gardner off her bowling. In the 15th over, Mandhana reached her half-century from 50 deliveries. In the next over, she was dismissed by Wareham as she mistimed the slogsweep. In the next over, Schutt conceded just two runs. Rodrigues finished the run chase with a boundary in the 18th over. India won the match with 14 balls to spare. Shafali remained unbeaten for 64 off 44 balls including six fours and three sixes.
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