Highlights, Australia Women vs India Women, ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Full Cricket Score: Team India begin campaign with 17-run win

“They started well and put us under the pump, but our bowlers did a pretty good job to pull things back. There was lack of a partnership and that took the momentum away from us. It’s not an ideal start but if we win the remaining games, we can still be through.”  

– Meg Lanning, Australia captain

Australia W v India W in Women’s World T20:

Won while chasing by 7 wickets, 2010
Won while chasing by 8 wickets, 2012
Lost while chasing by 48 runs, 2018
Lost while chasing by 17 runs, 2020*

Smallest victories for India in Women’s T20 World Cup (by runs): 

6 v Pak W, Sylhet, 2014
17 v Aus W, Sydney, 2020
34 v NZ W, Providence, 2018*

After 19.5 overs,Australia Women 115/10 ( Megan Schutt 1 , )

Shikha Pandey bowls out the final over, and we have an appeal for a caught-behind off the first delivery — which ultimately goes in favour of the hosts as the ball is shown to be landing on grass before settling in the keeper’s gloves. Kaur then spreads the field out for Gardner, who then departs off the second ball — getting a thick leading edge that results in an easy catch for the bowler. It’s just a formality for the Indians thereafter — a dot and a single off the next two balls, before Strano’s run out at the non-striker’s end completes a fine 17-run victory for Team India at the start of the seventh edition of the T20 World Cup!

OUT! And it’s a run-out that ultimately seals a fine victory for Harmanpreet Kaur and Co! India win by 17 runs to begin the T20 World Cup in style! AUS 115 all out

Strano run out (Rodrigues/Pandey) 2(3)

OUT! Pandey effectively seals the game as Gardner edges a full toss, with the bowler running to her right towards short midwicket to complete a relatively easy return catch! AUS 113/9

Gardner c and b Pandey 34(36)

After 19 overs,Australia Women 112/8 ( Ashleigh Gardner 34 , Molly Strano 0)

Kaur gives Deepti the crucial penultimate over. And she doesn’t disappoint — giving away no more than five runs and knocking the bails off at the non-striker’s end to run Kimmince out for 4. Australia need 21 from the last over with Gardner batting on 34, with Strano for company.

OUT! The pressure eventually got the better of the Aussies, with Kimmince running herself out at the non-striker’s end while coming back for a risky second run in order to give the strike to Gardner. AUS 108/8

Kimmince run out (Verma/Sharma) 4(5)

After 18 overs,Australia Women 106/7 ( Ashleigh Gardner 29 , Delissa Kimmince 3)

Poonam Yadav bowls out her final over. Bowls a real slow one to Gardner in the second delivery, the ball bouncing twice before hitting the stumps. While the Indians celebrate the ‘dismissal’, Gardner stands her ground and the umpires have a bit of a discussion — before signalling it a no-ball due. Four runs off her last over, as Yadav signs off with exceptional figures of 4/19! Australia need another 27 to win from 12 balls with three wickets in hand.

After 17 overs,Australia Women 102/7 ( Ashleigh Gardner 28 , Delissa Kimmince 1)

Kaur turns to Pandey now for the 17th over — with the penultimate over presumably also reserved for her. The move turns out to be the right one for the Indians, as she manages to get Sutherland stumped for 2 off the third delivery, although Gardner’s presence at the crease will continue to worry Kaur and Co. Two runs and a wicket from the over. Australia need 31 to win from 18 balls with three wickets in hand.

OUT! Sutherland’s innings comes to an end as she misses a wide delivery from Pandey, and is a couple of steps down the track by the time Bhatia whips the bails off behind her. Australia lose their seventh now! AUS 101/7

Sutherland st Bhatia b Pandey 2(5)

After 16 overs,Australia Women 100/6 ( Ashleigh Gardner 27 , Annabel Sutherland 2)

Gayakwad bowls out her quota of overs, conceding nine from her last over including a six to Gardner off the penultimate delivery that restores some confidence into the Aussie camp. Australia need another 33 to win from 24 balls.

After 15 overs,Australia Women 91/6 ( Ashleigh Gardner 19 , Annabel Sutherland 1)

Reddy leaks a boundary off the first ball, with Gardner flicking the ball behind square, but restricts the opposition batters to the ones and twos for the remainder of the over, with nine coming from it. Australia need 42 to win from another 30, with Gardner’s presence now crucial to the title holders.

After 14 overs,Australia Women 82/6 ( Ashleigh Gardner 11 , Annabel Sutherland 0)

Another brilliant over from Poonam Yadav, getting Jonassen caught-behind for 2, while giving away just one run off it, as the Aussies continue to struggle against her googlies. Australia need 51 to win from 36 balls.

OUT! Wicket number four for Poonam Yadav, and she’s single-handedly putting the Indians in a winning position at the moment! Jonassen, who had been dropped by Bhatia in Yadav’s previous over, gets an underedge while attempting a sweep, and Bhatia this time doesn’t make a mistake behind the stumps. AUS 82/6

Jonassen c Bhatia b Yadav 2(6)

After 13 overs,Australia Women 81/5 ( Ashleigh Gardner 10 , Jess Jonassen 2)

Another tidy over from Reddy, who’s making a fine comeback after getting hit for 15 runs in her first over, as she gives away five singles off her third. Australia need 52 to win off 42.

After 12 overs,Australia Women 76/5 ( Ashleigh Gardner 7 , Jess Jonassen 0)

Yadav gets smacked for a boundary off the first ball by Gardner, who then collects a single next ball to bring Haynes on strike. Yadav then bowls three consecutive googlies, removing Haynes and Perry off the first two and nearly completing a hat-trick as Jonassen gets dropped by Bhatia behind the stumps after an outside edge. Things looking real tough for the Aussies now, with another 57 left for them to chase off 48 balls.

OUT! Another googly from Poonam Yadav, and this time she rattles the leg stump to get rid of Ellyse Perry for a duck! What’s more, she’s on a hat-trick! AUS 76/5

Perry b Yadav 0(1)

OUT! It’s Poonam Yadav again, and what a gem of a spell she is bowling for the Indians, this time getting Rachael Haynes stumped for 6! The batter failed to read the googly on this occasion. AUS 76/4

Haynes st Bhatia b Yadav 6(8)

After 11 overs,Australia Women 71/3 ( Rachael Haynes 6 , Ashleigh Gardner 2)

Reddy’s brought back, this time bowling a much better over — giving away just four singles. Two new batters at the crease for the hosts, and they will need to handle the situation delicately to forge a solid partnership.

After 10 overs,India Women 63/3 ( Jemimah Rodrigues 11 , Deepti Sharma 7)

Poonam Yadav brought into play for the first time in the 10th over of the innings. Healy brings up her 10th T20I fifty in just 34 balls by smashing the ball over the midwicket rope, but is walking back to the dugout off the very next delivery as a clever change of line and length induces a tame drive down the ground, with Yadav pouching the ball safely. Nine runs and a wicket from the over. At the halfway stage of the chase, it still is a 50-50 contest. Australia need another 66 to win from 60 balls.

OUT! Healy’s gone! Just the wicket that the Indians were looking for, and it’s Poonam Yadav who nets the big fish by collecting a return catch off her own bowling! AUS 67/3

Healy c and b Yadav 51

After 9 overs,Australia Women 58/2 ( Alyssa Healy (W) 44 , Rachael Haynes 2)

India needed a wicket to get the momentum back in their favour, and Gayakwad’s dismissal of opposition skipper Meg Lanning does exactly that, the right-handed batter getting an outside edge to get caught-behind for 5. Rachel Haynes walks out to bat next, and gets off the mark with a single right away. Healy lofts the ball towards long off off the penultimate delivery, with the ball landing just short of Deepti. Six from the over along with the wicket.

OUT! What looked initially like a missed stumping opportunity ultimately turned out to be a caught-behind dismissal! Lanning looked to go downtown, but got an audible nick off the outside edge, and is on her way back for a single-digit score. AUS 55/2

Lanning c Bhatia b Gayakwad 5(8)

After 8 overs,India Women 51/3 ( Jemimah Rodrigues 4 , Deepti Sharma 2)

Reddy’s brought into the attack in place of Pandey now, and she starts off with a poor delivery that gets punished for a boundary by Healy. The keeper-batter continues to make merry, collecting back-to-back fours off the fourth and fifth deliveries of the over as 15 runs are added to the Aussie total in this over. Pressure back on the Indians now.

After 7 overs,Australia Women 37/1 ( Alyssa Healy (W) 26 , Meg Lanning (C) 4)

Gayakwad brought back in place of Deepti, with the body language of the Indians suddenly a little more pumped up after the breakthrough in the previous over, which shows in their efforts. Just four off this over, including a brace off the third ball.

After 6 overs,Australia Women 33/1 ( Alyssa Healy (W) 25 , Meg Lanning (C) 1)

Pandey does the trick in her second over of the evening, getting rid of Mooney — who looks to work a back-of-length ball behind square, but ends up hitting it straight to Gayakwad. Out walks captain Meg Lanning, as Australia reach 33/1 at the end of the powerplay.

OUT! Pandey draws first blood for the Indians as Mooney holes out to Gayakwad at backward point to depart for a slow 6; AUS 32/1

Mooney c Gayakwad b Pandey 6(12)