India succumbed to a three-wicket defeat against Australia in a high-scoring encounter at the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. The match witnessed a piece of history as skipper Alyssa Healy masterminded a record chase of 331 with a spectacular individual score of 142. With this Australia pulled off the highest successful chase on women's ODI history.
Can India make it to Women's World Cup 2025 semifinal?
After four matches in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, the points table shows a tight race for the semifinals. Australia currently leads the standings with 7 points, followed closely by England with 6 points. India sits in third place with 4 points and maintains a healthy Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.677, keeping them in strong contention for a spot in the final four.
Close behind India is South Africa, who also have 4 points. However, their significantly lower NRR of -0.888 gives India a critical advantage. Further down the table, New Zealand and Bangladesh each have 2 points, while Sri Lanka and Pakistan are yet to register a win in the tournament.
For India to secure a place in the semifinals, their qualification scenario is relatively straightforward: they must win all of their remaining group-stage matches (against England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh). Additionally, they will need results from other games to go their way, specifically hoping that both South Africa and New Zealand lose at least one of their upcoming fixtures. Maintaining their strong net run rate will remain crucial, as it could be the deciding factor if multiple teams finish with the same number of points.
Talking about the match, after being asked to bat first, India set a formidable total of 330. The innings was highlighted by a personal milestone for vice-captain Smriti Mandhana who became the first player in women's ODIs to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year. However, India experienced a late collapse, plummeting from 294/4 to 330 all out after losing their last six wickets for just 36 runs in seven overs. Australian pacer Annabel Sutherland (5/40) was the chief destroyer, claiming her maiden five-wicket haul, with Sophie Molineux (3/75) also providing crucial support.
Alyssa Healy's match-winning 142
Chasing the highest target ever successfully achieved in women's ODI history, Healy set an aggressive pace, bringing up her sixth career hundred, and her first as captain, in just 84 balls. Her brilliant innings, which stood at 142 off 107 balls, finally ended when Sneh Rana pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at backward point, giving India a sliver of hope at 276/5. However, experienced all-rounder Ellyse Perry, who had previously retired hurt, returned to the crease and expertly steered Australia across the finish line with an unbeaten 47. Australia completed the historic chase in 49 overs, with one over to spare. The victory pushed Australia to the top of the points table, while India remained in third place.