Australia women produced a clinical performance in the second T20I to outclass India women and level the three-match series 1-1. Alyssa Healy and Co. bounced back in style after a big defeat in the series opener as they beat India by 6 wickets on Sunday at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
Chasing a moderate target of 131, Ellyse Perry scored an unbeaten 34 to help Australia register a win with an over to spare.
Playing her 300th international game across formats, the legendary Perry celebrated the feat with a fine knock of 34 not out (21 balls, 3x4s, 2x6s) and took Australia over the line with a six to win the game.
A 51-run stand between Alyssa Healy (26) and Beth Mooney (20) set the platform for Australia’s successful chase. However, Deepti Sharma claimed a double to dismiss the Australian openers.
INDW vs AUSW 2nd T20I Highlights
Tahlia McGrath (19) and Ashleigh Gardner (7) failed to score big but Perry and Phoebe Litchfield took Australia over the line comfortably.
With 15 needed to win off 12 balls, Litchfield (18 not out off 12 balls, 3x4s) struck two fours in first three balls of the penultimate over from Shreyanka Patil to dash India’s hopes.
Earlier, with the batters failing to convert starts, India ended up with a below-par total.
Smriti Mandhana (23), Richa Ghosh (23) and even Jemimah Rodrigues (13) could not capitalise after making promising starts.
But Deepti fought till the end to push the team’s total as far as she could, with wickets falling steadily from the other end.
Kim Garth (2/27) dealt an early blow to India trapping Shafali Verma (1) leg-before wickets and had further success getting an on-song Rodrigues who got off the blocks quickly with three fours.
Having smashed almost 10 runs per over in the powerplay during the first game, India could only manage a mere 33/2 with Mandhana hitting a few attractive strokes.
The India vice-captain flicked Garth over deep square leg for a six and another hit over the cover fell short of the boundary ropes for a four.
However, Mandhana could not control a short ball from Annabel Sutherland in the eighth over as she pulled one straight to Ellyse Perry at deep midwicket.
India’s misery compounded with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s (six off 12 balls) yet another failure with the bat.
Harmanpreet had a perfect opportunity to lift India out of doldrums but the captain perished on what has been her bread and butter shot — the sweep.
Ghosh smacked a massive six off Gardner in the same over but she too could not push on for a big score.
With all eyes fixated on the wicketkeeper-batter for a much-needed push, Ghosh was unable to connect a slower delivery from Georgia Wareham which struck her on the pads in front of the wickets.
Australia’s appeal was declined on the field and even Wareham felt the ball had pitched outside leg, but skipper Alyssa Healy went ahead with a DRS appeal which overturned in favour of the visitors.
Wareham went on to claim Pooja Vastrakar (9) for her second scalp in a fine spell of 4-0-17-2, but this time both the bowler and the skipper were on the same page for a correct DRS call.
(With Agency Inputs)
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