After a dominant 9-wicket win in the first T20I, India Women hosted Australia Women in the second match of the series. The decisive match of the virtual series between the teams took place at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
Australia won the toss and opted to play first. They were on the money from the beginning and did not let the Indian batsmen score freely. Kim Garth surprised the hosts early on when he removed Shefali Verma (1) in the final second by trapping her lbw.
Jemimah Rodrigues (13), who came to bat at number 3, played some attacking shots but was outplayed by Kim Garth when she removed the batsman in her second over. Smriti Mandhana (23) and Harmanpreet Kaur (6) tried to get the team out of trouble, but it didn’t happen.
Annabelle Sutherland removed Smriti in the eighth over before Ashleigh Gardner sent captain Harmanpreet Kaur packing. Indian women were left reeling at 54/4. That’s when Richa Ghosh (23) and Deepti Sharma (30) came together and got the team out of trouble.
They added 33 runs for the fifth wicket before Richa got out. Soon after, Deepti Sharma fell behind and India came under pressure again. But thanks to their crucial partnership, they recorded a total of 130 runs on the board.
For the Australian women, Kim Garth picked two wickets, while Annabelle Sutherland and Georgia Wareham also contributed and picked two wickets each. Their sensational performance saw them restrict the opposition to a low total of 130 runs.
IND-W vs AUS-W scorecard, highlights from 2nd T20I: Australia Women Thrashe India Women; Chase the target with 6 wickets in hand
In the chase, Australia’s women got off to a good start. Alyssa Healy (26) and Beth Mooney (20) made sure to put their team in a great position from the start. The duo added 51 runs to the opening partnership and put the Indian women under huge pressure.
But Deepti Sharma brought India back into the game. She removed both openers and made sure he gave the fans something to cheer about. Tahlia McGrath (19) and Ellyse Perry (34*) then put pressure on the hosts with their 31-run partnership but the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team once again came back.
Shreyanka Patil sent Tahlia McGrath packing before Pooja Vastrakar removed Ashleigh Gardner to leave Australia at 97/4. However, the Australian women made sure not to let the game go astray and capitalized on the start they got despite losing regular wickets.
Ellyse Perry played an unbeaten knock of 34 runs that snatched the game from India. Phoebe Litchfield (18*) supported her well at the end. The Australian women comfortably chased down the target with 6 wickets in hand and also had 6 balls to spare.
Brief Scores: India Women 130/8 (Deepti Sharma 30; Georgia Wareham 4/17) Australia Women: 133/4 (Ellyse Perry 34*: Deepti Sharma 2/22)
The series between India Women and Australia Women is now tied 1-1. The focus is now on the third T20 to be played on January 9 at the same venue. With the way the two games played out, it promises to be an exciting and decisive series between the teams.
