India’s aspirations for a semifinal berth in the T20 World Cup suffered a significant blow following a narrow nine-run loss to Australia at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
In a tense chase of 151, captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 54* kept India in the hunt until the final over, but Australia’s bowlers, led by Annabel Sutherland, held their nerve to secure victory.
Chasing a competitive total, India found themselves in trouble early, losing key batters Shafali Verma (20), Smriti Mandhana (10), and Jemimah Rodrigues (16) within the first seven overs. Verma had started promisingly with a flurry of boundaries, but Gardner’s full delivery curtailed her aggressive approach, leaving India at 48 for 3.
Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma (24) then embarked on a cautious rebuild, adding 63 runs off 55 balls. However, the slow accumulation during the middle overs allowed the required run rate to climb, leaving India needing 40 off the final three overs. Harmanpreet brought India closer with some timely boundaries, including a 44-ball fifty, but was left stranded at the non-striker’s end as wickets tumbled in the final over.
Sutherland’s 2 for 22, including a brilliant last over, ensured that Australia extended their dominance over India, having beaten them in both the final and semifinal of the last two T20 World Cups.
Earlier, Australia elected to bat after stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath won the toss. India made early inroads, with Renuka Thakur (2-24) dismissing Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham in consecutive deliveries. However, McGrath (32) and Grace Harris (40) steadied the innings with a crucial partnership. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Australia’s batting depth allowed them to push the total to 151, with Ellyse Perry (32) and Phoebe Litchfield (19*) providing late flourishes.
India’s hopes of containing Australia were also hampered by a slow overrate penalty, which reduced the number of fielders they could position outside the circle in the death overs. Litchfield’s six off the last ball helped Australia reach a total that would prove just out of India’s grasp.
With this defeat, India’s fate in the tournament now depends on the result of the match between Pakistan and New Zealand. A victory for Pakistan could keep India’s semifinal hopes alive, but the loss to Australia has left their qualification hanging by a thread.
Brief Scores:
Australia 151/8 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 40, Ellyse Perry 32; Renuka Thakur 2-24, Deepti Sharma 2-28)
India 142/9 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54*; Annabel Sutherland 2-22)
Australia won by 9 runs.
