Birmingham: Skipper Harmanpree Kaur’s (52, 34b, 8×4, 1×6) brilliant half-century and a sensational spell of fast bowling by Renuka Singh (4/18) failed to inspire the Indian eves as they went down to World Champions Australia by three wickets in a Group A T20 game of the Commonwealth Games here Friday.
With women’s cricket making its debut at the Commonwealth Games, it was the perfect occasion for India to make it a memorable game by beating Australia. Renuka had the Aussies on the mat with the score reading 39 for four and 49 for five at one stage. However, the Australians showed great character to come back into the game with Ashleigh Gardner (52 n o, 35b, 9×4) leading the charge.
The target of 155 should have been a straightforward chase for Australia, but Renuka, playing only her seventh T20, broke the backbone of their batting. However, Gardner with two crucial stands of 51 (sixth wicket) with Grace Harris (37, 20b, 5×4, 2×6) and 47 (unbeaten for the eighth wicket) with Alana King (18 n o, 16b, 3×4) took the game away from the Indian eves.
In the end, Australia overcame the target comfortably, showing that the reigning T20 and ODI World Champions can win from any situation.
After Renuka’s opening burst much was expected of Indian spinners. However, left-arm spin twins Radha Yadav (0/42 in 4) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (0/24 in 2) gave away 66 in six overs between them to let the momentum slip.
Earlier Shafali Verma (48, 33b, 9×4) and skipper Kaur’s innings entertained the Edgbaston crowd but the other batters disappointed. India however, lost their way in the last five overs when they scored only 39 runs losing five wickets in the process.
Smriti Mandhana facing pacer Darcie Brown on the first ball of the competition marked the beginning of a pivotal point in women’s cricket with the game aiming to reach the Olympics via the CWG route.
Brief scores: India 154 for 8 (Harmanpreet Kaur 52, Shafali Verma 48, Jess Jonassen 4/22) lost to Australia 157 for 7 in 19 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 52 n o, Renuka Singh 4/18) by three wickets.
