In the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, India faced defeat against Australia on Sunday, October 13, 2024. The match took place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Australia secured a narrow victory against India by 9 runs.
Despite stellar performances from Indian Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 54 off 47 balls, India couldn’t make their way to clinch victory against Australia. India lost several key wickets at crucial times and fell short of a few runs.
The team’s performance came down during the final overs where India needed to score 14 runs, Australia didn’t lose hope and turned the match in their favor.
Australia Reaches Semi-Finals
Meanwhile, Australia’s triumph has slimmed India’s chances of reaching the semi-finals. Australia has successfully secured their spot in the Semi-Finals.
Decided to bat first, Australia posted a score of 151 for 8 in their 20 overs.
Initially, Indian women had a good start, but eventually, the team failed to score after being held under pressure during the final overs of the match.
India’s Batting
Harmanpreet Kaur was the standout performer, scoring an unbeatable 54 runs off 47 balls. She played a crucial role in the game till the end.
Shafali Verma had a quick start with 28 runs in 18 balls. While Jemimah Rodrigues contributed 16 runs off 12 balls. Deepti Sharma scored 29 runs off 25 balls.
On the bowling front, Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each, giving 24 runs and 28 runs respectively. Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, and Pooja Vastrakar took single wickets each.
Australia’s Batting
From Australia’s side, Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath were the top scorers who contributed to their team’s win. Harris scored 40 runs off 41 balls, while McGrath contributed 32 runs off 26 balls to the team.
With impressive bowling, Sophie Molineux took 2 wickets for 32 runs in her four overs. She was awarded Player of the Match, for taking crucial wickets including Deepti Sharma and Smriti Mandhana. Annabel Sutherland also claimed two wickets for 22 runs in her 4 overs.
Can India Still Qualify for Semi-Finals?
Although, this loss has sabotaged the chances for Indian women to reach the finals, Team India can still have a chance to prove themselves by qualifying for the second round. India is currently positioned second in Group A, after securing triumph against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. New Zealand is placed in 3rd position.
However, if Pakistan achieves victory, India will qualify for the Semi-Finals as India’s Net Run Rate is superior as compared to New Zealand. Therefore, Pakistan’s triumph would allow team India to progress to the Semi-finals.
India’s recent performances against Australia
Additionally, this is to be noted that India and Australia have faced each other 34 times in T20s with Australia winning 25 of those and India winning 7.
Earlier in the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup, India managed to beat Australia in the Group Stage but lost to them in the Finals.
In 2018, India defeated Australia by 48 runs.
What’s Next for Team India?
India’s next match in the women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is against New Zealand. The match is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 7:30 pm IST.
Kanishka Malhotra is a seasoned journalist with a deep passion for reporting and uncovering the truth. With a specialization in research and investigative Journalism, she has covered wide range of topics related to social issues, travel, lifestyle, technology, Entertainment and much more. She believes to express and share her creativity to the world through words. With relentless pursuit of knowing and uncovering the truth, Kanishka continues to leave a mark in the world of journalism.
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