India vs Australia Highlights Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Australia beat India, qualify for semis

India ended their Group A campaign on four points after two wins and two losses. Meanwhile, Australia remained unbeaten in group stage and qualified for the semi-final.

Renuka Singh Thakur (2/24) and Deepti Sharma (2/28) played pivotal roles but Australia posted a tricky 152-run target against India in their must-win Group A match.

While Renuka struck twice early on to give India an upper hand, Deepti grabbed the crucial wickets of Grace Harris (40) and Ellyse Perry (32) in later stages. Australia stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath won the toss and elected to bat first against India in Sharjah. Alyssa Healy, who sustained a knee injury in their last match, missed out after failing to recover. Meanwhile, Pooja Vastrakar returned to India’s XI for the mega clash.

India started their campaign with a sluggish performance in the match against New Zealand and lost the tie by a big margin, but the bowlers helped them bounce back with a win over Pakistan. However, their batting still looked sluggish against Pakistan, but they did a terrific job against Sri Lanka to make a big statement with half-centuries from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana.

Meanwhile Australia, with six points from three matches and an impressive net run rate of 2.786, have all but qualified for the semifinals, leaving India, New Zealand and Pakistan to fight out for the remaining spot.

However, the defending champions suffered two injury setbacks during Friday’s victory over Pakistan, with skipper Alyssa Healy exiting the field due to an “acute injury to her right foot” and fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck dislocated her shoulder.

Meanwhile, the Women in Blue registered a massive 82-run win over Sri Lanka – their biggest win (by run margin) in the T20 World Cup history, which helped them convert their net run rate from negative to positive.

The win also elevated them to second place in Group A, just behind Australia, who are undefeated in the tournament. But India, who are on 4 points, will need a win to keep their knockout aspirations alive as New Zealand have one more game in hand and can also reach a total of 6 points.

If that’s the scenario, qualification will hinge on the net run rate. While India currently holds a 0.567 NRR, New Zealand (-0.050) could surpass Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. with substantial victories over the struggling Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“We all know that net run rate is going on and we keep playing it. And I think if you are playing in the Indian team, you don’t need to tell us that you’re below the NRR. Because everyone is very mature and everyone is seeing everything. So, I think it’s not something to say. But of course, we have the NRR in our minds. And we’ll keep a focus on it,” Shafali Verma said as quoted by the ICC.

Key highlights of India vs Australia Women’s T20 World Cup match

– Australia (151/8) beat India (142/9) by 9 runs in Sharjah

– Harmanpreet Kaur scored a half-century, which went in vain.

– Shafali Verma (20) and Smriti Mandhana (6) departed cheaply inside powerplay in 152-run chase.

– Australia post 151/8 (G Harris 40, E Perry 32; R Thakur 2/24) in 20 overs vs India in Sharjah

– Deepti Sharma claimed two wickets in her four-over spell

– Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath shared a 62-run stand for the third wicket.

– Renuka Thakur claimed wickets in back-to-back deliveries to put Australia on the backfoot in powerplay.