India lose final women’s T20 vs Australia; concede series 1-2

Richa Ghosh helped the Indian women’s cricket team put up 147 on the board but the Aussies chased it down comfortably courtesy half-centuries by Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney.

3 minBy Utathya Nag 09 January 2024 16:49 GMT+0
India vs Australia
(Getty Images)

The Indian women’s cricket team conceded the three-match T20 series against Australia 1-2 after losing the final T20I at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday by seven wickets.

India, asked to bat first, rode handy knocks by Richa Ghosh, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana to set the visitors a target of 148. Half-centuries by Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney, however, helped Australia make short work of the chase.

Aussie captain Alyssa Healy, playing her 150th international in women’s T20 cricket, won her second successive toss of the series and put India in to bat first.

After a watchful start, Shafali Verma looked to pick up the scoring rate and hit Kim Garth for three boundaries in the fourth over. She also dispatched Megan Schutt straight down the ground in the third ball of the fifth over, but ended up playing one straight to Healy in the very next ball.

Having lost her opening partner, Mandhana stepped up in the role of the aggressor and quickly took India to 60. However, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mandhana and Indian T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur all departing in quick succession had India reeling at 66/4 at the halfway mark.

The Indian women’s cricket team was left scrambling at 54/3 after Harmanpreet fell to Ashleigh Gardner in the 11th over.

Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh, who helped arrest an Indian collapse in the second T20I, once again stepped up with a 33-run partnership before the former departed for 14.

Richa, though, powered on to 34 off 28 balls and a nifty late onslaught by Amanjot Kaur (20 off 17) got India to a very respectable total of 147/6 in 20 overs.

After a tentative start, Healy and Beth Mooney got into their groove and started going for the big shots and took the Aussies past 50 in the powerplay.

It seemed like India had got their much-anticipated breakthrough after Healy was caught by Jemimah off Pooja Vastrakar with the score reading 60. The brilliant fielding effort, however, went in vain as the TV umpire concluded that there was no clear evidence that the catch was taken cleanly.

Healy got to her half-century soon enough but departed soon after as Deepti Sharma caught her leg before wicket.

Vastrakar handed the visitors a double blow in the 16th over, removing Garth and Elyssa Perry in successive balls but the early platform set by Healy and Mooney proved too strong to topple.

Mooney stayed unbeaten on 52 to take Australia past the finish line with seven wickets and 10 balls to spare.

India Women vs Australia Women 3rd T20 brief scores: India-W 147/6 in 20 overs (Richa Ghosh 34, Smriti Mandhana 29; Annabel Sutherland 2/12) lost to Australia-W 149/3 in 18.4 overs (Alyssa Healy 55, Beth Mooney 52*; Pooja Vastrakar 2-26) by seven wickets.

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