T20I Women’s World cup-Australia vs India:Highlights

Venue : Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney

Toss : Australia women’s won the toss and opt to bowl

Playing XI

Australia Women Squad:

Alyssa Healy(w), Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Meg Lanning(c), Ellyse Perry, Rachael Haynes, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Molly Strano, Megan Schutt

India Women Squad:

Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia(w), Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad

India’s impressive start

Shafali Verma and Mandhana are at the crease, Shafali Verma is on strike. Strano opens the attack. The 16 year old young player Shafali Verma is expected to perform well in her first match of the women’s World cup. Soon this duo starts to strike boundaries from the second over and scored 40 runs in 4 overs. Jess Jonassen sent Mandhana(10 runs from 11 balls) back to dressing room with her first ball that leads to an LBW and provide the breakthrough needed by the Australia.

India’s sudden collapse

Soon in the very next over Ellyse Perry uproot the wicket of the young champ Shafali Verma who scored 29 runs of 15 deliveries. Out of 29 runs 26 comes from boundary(5×4,6×1) after her wicket Australia would be jubilant to see the back of Shafali Verma who was looking in supreme touch. India struggled to score after Mandhana’s wicket as Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur(2 from 5) leaves India in a big mess after losing her wicket. India lose three wicket for 47 runs and expected the middle order players to shine which will leads to a descent score.

Rodrigues and Sharma avert India from scoring low

Deepti Sharma(left handed) get in crease and joins hand with Jemimah Rodrigues and provide the needed partnership. This duo added 53 runs in total and prevent India from folding up in a dual digit score. When India scored a ton Rodrigues leaves the ground after losing her wicket to Delissa Kimmince. Veda Krishnamurthy and Deepti Sharma join hands for the next wicket and drag India from there to a descent score of 132. Deepti sharma(49) with a run, away for her half century remains unbeaten in ground.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma are scrapping hard at the Sydney Showground.

What’s a good score from here?#AUSvIND | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/VIJadrZkGZ

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) February 21, 2020

Alyssa Healy’s comeback

After a successful bowling Australia gear up with bat to chase down the target of 133. Healy and Mooney are at the crease, Healy is on strike. Deepti Sharma opens the attack after her unbeaten 49, and start things off with her off-spin. Healy who failed to show up in the women’s tri series is expect to comeback in her World cup match. In the 5th ball of the first over Mandhana appears to be in great strife after a terrific effort to save four. She’s clutches her shoulder in pain after a diving effort lucky she is safe and return to fielding.

Mooney rotate the strike to Healy as she starts to strike well and show her form despite of the last T20I series. Australia starts scoring in a steady growth but Shikha Pandey’s pulled back Australia when they lose Mooney’a wicket. Healy with her back to back four in Arundhati Reddy’s over impressed everyone after a long time.

Poonam Yadav scatters Australian dream

After the power play ended Australia seems to collapse as they start losing their wicket. Gayakwad picked Lanning’s wicket which blow the Australian fans. In the very next over Healy, who’s scored around 80 percent of Australia’s runs, has chipped away by Poonam Yadav. In the previous ball Healy scored a half century with a massive six and recorded the first half century in the T20I World cup 2020. In the 12th over Poonam Yadav released her spell by picking back to back wicket but missed a hat-trick. Yadav took Haynes and all-rounder Perry(for duck) but missed a hat-trick as keeper dropped Jonassen’s catch.

The total game turns upside down with this two wicket as everyone expect that Perry will lead Aussies to the win. Poonam picked the Jonassen’s wicket which she missed at her previous over. Australia’s only hope is Ashleigh Gardner who struggle to make a partnership which is very much needed at that time. When Gardner hit a sensational six into the crowd the game seems to be in favor for Aussies. But Shikha Pandey breaks the belief of Australia’s winning by uprooting the wicket of Sutherland.

Shikha Pandey’s show

Poonam Yadav controlled her last over though she gave a loose ball with free hit due to the no ball. Delissa Kimmince who paired with Gardner lose her wicket by run out while tries to take a single. With a need of 21 runs in last over Shikha Pandey bowled and picks Gardner wicket who seems to be the last hope for some miracle. The victory seems to be in the shoulder of India but Shikha Pandey finished the match by picking Schutt’s wicket and paved the path for India to win the first match in World cup with a ball left.

Player of the match

Poonam Yadav(India)

Bowling : 4 wickets for 19 runs in four overs.

Poonam Yadav with her bowling spell picked four crucial wicket which makes India to win with an average total. She said” My physio and my teammates supported me a lot during my injury phase. I bowled well against Australia here in the past so I wanted to continue that. This is the third time that I didn’t get a hat-trick but I am thankful to my teammates as it is not easy to come back after an injury.”

Captain’s view