Vizag, Mar 21: After winning the ODI series 3-0, Australia inflicted a 63-run defeat on India in the third T20I to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series here at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.
Opting to bat first, Australia posted 151 on the board for the loss of two wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy gave their team a dream start with a 112-run opening partnership. Lanning missed out her half-century, dismissed by Archana Das for 42, while Healy was unfortunate to be run out on 90.
Chasing a stiff 152-run target, India managed to score only 88 for the loss of six wickets. The home team once again found it difficult to score off the Australian bowlers. After Sarah Coyte removed the openers, Elysse Perry dismissed Harmanpreet Kaur, who had put up some determined performances in the previous matches. While Erin Osborne sent back Mithali Raj, Perry claimed Veda Krishnamurthy to leave India reeling at 18 for the loss of four wickets in the fifth over. Although Sulakshana Naik (34) and Reema Malhotra (32) tried to put up a fight, India could not recover from the early losses, losing the match by a big margin.
Brief scores: Australia 151/2 in 20 overs (A Healy 90, M Lanning 42) beat India 88/6 in 20 overs (S Naik 34, S Coyte 3/19, E Perry 2/8) by 63 runs
