After the Test and ODI series, now it is time for the T20I series between India Women and Australia Women. The first match of the three-match inter-team series took place at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. The locals won the toss and opted for first.
The Indian women got off to a great start with the ball and their decision to play first paid off. Beth Mooney (17) and Alyssa Healy (8) opened for Australia and added 28 runs to the opening partnership before Titas Sadhu gave her team the breakthrough in the fourth over.
In the next over, Renuka Singh removed Australian captain Alyssa Healy before Titas Sadhu intervened again and sent Tahlia McGrath and Ashley Gardner out for ducks. This left the Australian women reeling at 33/4. That’s when Elyse Perry (37) and Phoebe Lichfield (49) came together and got their team out of trouble.
They added 79 runs for the partnership that put Australia back on track. Thanks to his solid performance with the bat, the visitors scored a total of 141 runs on the board in the first match of the series.
Indian women managed to take all 10 wickets and Titas Sadhu was the pick of the bowlers. He returned with figures of 4/17, while Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil also took two wickets each. Apart from them, Renuka Singh and Amanjot Kaur also got a wicket each.
IND-W vs AUS-W: India women chase the target with 9 wickets in hand; Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana shine in the bat
The Indian women happily begin the chase. Both openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana batted beautifully. Not even once did they seem to struggle as he was his class with the bat as he put his opponents under tremendous pressure.
Shafali Verma in particular was primarily responsible for the massacre. He attacked the Australian players from the beginning and did not let them into the game even once. He played some magnificent shots and made sure to take revenge in the ODI series.
Verma batted at a strike rate of around 150 and hit a four and a six in his innings. He finished with the knock of unbeaten 64 runs off 44 balls. He batted at a strike rate of 145.45 and hit 6 fours and 3 sixes in his innings. His stupendous innings did not allow the opposition to get into the game for a moment.
Smriti Mandhana, on the other hand, supported her well. She also played the shots from time to time, but made sure to keep an end. The senior batsman finished with 54 runs off 52 balls. She batted with a strike rate of over 103 and also hit 7 fours and 1 six in her innings.
Shefali Verma and Smriti Mandhana added 137 runs for the opening partnership and almost sealed the game for their team. After the latter returned to the cabin, Jemimah Rodrigues (6*) did the unfinished business and took her team home with 14 balls to spare. India women won the game by 9 wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brief Scores: Australia Women 141/9 (Phoebe Litchfield 49; Titas Sadhu 4/17) India Women (Shafali Verma 64*: Darcie Brown 1/10)