Australia book T20 World Cup semi-final spot, slim chance for India

Defending champions Australia got the better of India in a thrilling contest to maintain a 100% win record in Group A and seal their ticket to the semi-finals, with India's hopes getting diminished on Sunday (October 13) in Sharjah. 

Skipper Alyssa Healy arrived at the stadium on crutches and missed out on the game after having sustained a foot injury in Australia's previous encounter against Pakistan. Tahlia McGrath stepped up to captain the side with Ellyse Perry as her deputy. She won the toss and opted to bat first. As for India, Asha Sobhana picked an injury during the team warm-up post toss, and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav replaced her in the playing XI. 

The Aussies were off to a shaky start. Renuka Singh Thakur, who had recently showcased her abilities during the initial overs, made an instant impact yet again. She removed Beth Mooney from the crease for just two runs with the help of Radha's catching skills. Georgia Wareham came in to bat at number three and got trapped by Renuka for a golden duck.

With a mountain to climb, McGrath and opening batter Grace Harris kept the scoreboard ticking for Australia. A total of 37 runs were scored in the first six overs, and McGrath and Harris took charge in the middle overs. Harmanpreet Kaur dropped the chance to send McGrath back to the pavilion in the 12th over, but two deliveries later, Radha got second time lucky and dismissed the Aussie skipper, ending the 62-run stand.

Harris shifted gears, taking on Arundhati Reddy and smashing two boundaries in her third over. But her WPL teammate Deepti Sharma got rid of her and she had to depart for 40 runs. Pooja Vastrakar got her first wicket after taking out Ash Gardner.

Ellyse Perry arrived at the wicket with an aggressive mindset and targetted Shreyanka Patil and Deepti. But the latter got her revenge in the punultimate over, dismissing Perry for 32 runs off 23 balls. The final over bowled by Patil turned out to be quite eventful. The off-spinner claimed Annabel Sutherland's wicket by rattling the stumps. Sophie Molineux was run out for a golden duck, and Phoebe Litchfield ended the innings with a six. Australia gave India a target of 152 runs.

Team India started off much better than the Australians did. Shafali Verma went rampant in the opening overs, dispatching Megan Schutt for a four and a six. But Gardner was able to trick her and claim her wicket for the fifth time in T20Is. Smriti Mandhana struggled with the bat, falling victim to Molineux and giving India another blow. The chasing side scored 41 runs in the power play, but losing two wickets meant their situation was similar to that of Australia.

Jemimah Rodrigues, who had commenced her innings with intent in the power play, lost her wicket to Schutt, leaving the responsibility on captain Kaur and Deepti's sholders. The pair was unable to play with the same intent as Shafali and Rodrigues, and India's run rate crumbled in the middle overs. But they still kept the score ticking for Team India and eventually went for boundaries.

Deepti attacked Molineux in the 16th over by hitting two fours, but her third attempt at smashing a boundary led to her dismissal. With India closing in, Schutt came in to bowl the 17th over, and she conceded only one run in what turned out to be a match-winning over for Australia. Richa Ghosh was run out by Litchfield's direct hit.

India required 40 runs in the last three overs, and every boundary scored by Kaur gave the side a glimmer of hope. Needing 28 runs off 12 balls, Vastrakar joined in the action along with the skipper. Just when captain Kaur reached her half-century, the physio came in to check in on her, but she looked okay and ready to face the final over in which India needed 14 runs.

Much to India's frustration, the final over turned out to be a disaster. Vastrakar was clean bowled by Sutherland, followed by Reddy getting run out by Litchfield. Kaur wanted to get back on strike, but Patil refused to run and got run out with her right foot not being behind the line. Radha was the fourth batter to get dismissed in the over, and India fell short by a small margin of nine runs. Molineux was awarded the Player of the Match for picking two important wickets of Mandhana and Deepti.

With India losing against Australia, their chances of making it to the semi-finals have become even slimmer. New Zealand will face off against Pakistan on Monday (October 14), and it will all depend on the result of that game. If the White Ferns emerge victorious, India will be knocked out. The fans will be hoping for a Pakistan win to keep their semi-final dream alive.

Brief scores: Australia 151/8 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 40, Ellyse Perry 32; Renuka Singh Thakur 2/24, Deepti Sharma 2/28) beat India 142/9 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54*, Deepti Sharma 29; Annabel Sutherland 2/22, Sophie Molineux 2/32) by 9 runs. POTM: Sophie Molineux