New Delhi: Australia managed a big total of 172 and looking at the nature of the pitch and their bowlers, India’s dropped catches and misfields cost them a lot. A fifty from Beth Mooney and a cracker of a finish by Meg Lanning and Ashleigh Gardner took the defending champions to a desirable total. Beth Mooney scored a 54 off 37 while Meg Lanning ended the affairs with her 49* off 34.
The inning began with a boundary in every over for the first four overs and the inning ended with a couple of boundaries in each over in the death. Alyssa Healy, who was fit to play, and Mooney gave Australia a good start with a 52-run stand. In the eighth over, Healy marched down the pitch against Radha Yadav and was stumped.
The inning was marked by a couple of dropped catches, one when by Richa Ghosh behind the stumps when Lanning was playing at one and another, an easy one by Shafali when Mooney was at 32. Shafali got a chance to redeem as she caught Mooney off a slower delivery by Shikha Pandey, while Richa Ghosh went on to miss a stumping.
The 53-run partnership between Lanning and Gardner helped Australia maintain roughly a run rate of seven per over which built the stage for an attack in the death overs.
Deepti Sharma managed to dismiss Gardner for 31 off 18 and Shikha struck in the next over to dismiss Grace Harris. It looked like the Australian inning would slow down with the fall of wickets in the 18th and the 19th overs, but Meg Lanning punished the full tosses by Renuka Thakur in the final over to help her team cross 170.
Renuka bowled more full-length deliveries rather than good length which worked in the last couple of games. Shikha Pandey seemed a better bowler while Sneh Rana and Radha Yadav also contained the Australian batters before going for runs in their final overs.
India missed a sixth bowler in Pooja Vastrakar, who could not play due to an illness. Harmanpreet Kaur’s inclusion was also speculated as she was reportedly hospitalised in the morning, but the Indian captain came in to lead her team in the semis. India played an extra batter in Yastika Bhatia while the all-rounder spot was filled in by Sneh Rana.
Women in blue will need some power-hitting from their experienced players Smirti Mandhana and Kaur to lead a massive chase. Richa Ghosh will be the key batter as her efforts helped India beat Australia last time.
