IND-W vs AUS-W | Harris and McGrath stand coupled with clinical bowling seal Aussie victory over India

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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Australia beat India by nine runs to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the World Cup. The Aussie batting was anchored by Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath who propelled them to 151/8 while India struggled to form crucial partnerships and ultimately fell short, finishing their innings at 142/9.

‌Australia's stand-in skipper, Tahlia McGrath, won the toss and chose to bat in a crucial clash against India. The Aussies got off to a slow start, managing just nine runs in the first two overs. The major blow came in the third over when Renuka Singh Thakur dismissed both Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham on consecutive deliveries. With Grace Harris and McGrath at the crease, Australia reached 37/2 by the end of the powerplay. The pair steadied the innings, taking the score to 65/2 at the halfway mark with a solid 48-run partnership, rotating the strike well and finding boundaries occasionally. However, their 62-run stand was broken when Radha Yadav removed McGrath in the 12th over. Ellyse Perry joined Harris at the crease, and Australia seemed to have recovered, reaching 91/3 by the 13th over. But Harris fell soon after, with Deepti Sharma claiming her wicket, bringing Ashleigh Gardner to the crease. The Indian bowlers regained control, as Pooja Vastrakar dismissed Gardner, leaving Australia at 101/5 in the 15th over. Despite the wickets, Perry played fluently, building a decent partnership with Phoebe Litchfield. Australia eventually finished their innings at 151/8, with Perry scoring a crucial 32 runs.

In reply, India’s openers Shafali Varma and Smriti Mandhana started strong, reaching 25/0 in just three overs. However, Ashleigh Gardner broke the opening stand by dismissing Varma. India's troubles deepened when Sophie Molineux removed Mandhana, leaving Harmanpreet Kaur to bat next. With Jemimah Rodrigues and the Indian skipper at the crease, India finished the powerplay at 41/2. Just after the powerplay, Jemimah was dismissed by Megan Schutt, putting India in a precarious position. With Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma at the crease, India managed to reach 67/3 at the end of 10 overs. As the pitch began to favor spin, the Indian duo struggled to score runs. With the required run rate climbing, India needed 53 runs off the last five overs, intensifying the pressure. The situation worsened for the Women in Blue as Sharma and Richa Ghosh fell in quick succession. However, Harmanpreet remained composed, reaching her half-century off 44 deliveries. The last over required 14 runs, and Kaur was India’s last hope. Unfortunately, she couldn't guide her team to victory, getting dismissed in the 20th over by Annabel Sutherland. In the end, India lost the match by nine runs, leaving their hopes for a semi-final berth hanging by a thread.

 Oh hell no!

Gone

Let's be honest

LOL

Tough

Can Pakistan pull it off

Decimated

Done and dusted

Lost

Hold on!

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