Chasing in Australia is never easy. And it is all the more difficult when you are up against the Southern Stars, the three-time World T20 champions. But for the India women’s team, history and reputation mattered little on Tuesday as they chased down Australia’s challenging 141 with five at the Adelaide Oval after a sensational batting performance. India women, whose previous best chase was 128 against New Zealand, scaled the peak to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Big-hitter Harmanpreet Kaur slammed 46 in 31 balls as India got home with eight balls to spare. The victory assumes further significance as the lone practice match was washed out after just four overs of play. With the chase, India also proved they are slowly emerging out of the shadows of their captain Mithali Raj, who has been responsible for shaping many an Indian win.
The hosts removed Mithali in just the first over when the stylish batter's powerful cut went straight to the point fielder. But the visitors remained unfazed with Smriti Mandhana (29 off 25) and Veda Krishnamurthy (35 off 32) shouldering the burden. Smriti’s compact technique was pleasing to the eye and the left-hander looked confident playing on both sides of the wicket. The two raised a 50-run stand for the second wicket to put India on course.
Mandhana hit three boundaries and a six, and was looking dangerous when Healy’s smart glovework found her short of her crease. With India losing their second wicket for 62, the asking rate climbed. The fall of wickets continued and with Jhulan departing in the 14th over, India needed 50 from six overs. It was then that Harmanpreet meticulously planned her approach. She found boundaries regularly and looked for singles to bring the equation down to 16 in the last three overs. While she was stumped looking to cut the ball, India still needed 9 runs. Anuja Patil made sure India crossed the finish line with a well-timed cover drive that went to the fence.
Earlier, the Indian new ball bowlers were on target with both Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey troubling the openers. Jhulan struck on the third ball to send Grace Harris back for zero. The hosts were in trouble when Lanning was dropped at mid-on, but the in-form opener failed to capitalize as Shikha's well directed yorker got through her defence.
Despite the dropped catch, the Indians were sharp in the field and quick inside the circle. After losing two wickets for just 17, Australia stitched an important partnership for the third wicket between Ellyse Perry and Alex Blackwell. They added 49 on the board before Poonam Yadav ended the stand. The leg-spinner who relies on flight, was rewarded yet again for sticking to her strength. Tempted by the flight, Perry went for a big hit, but only ended up getting a top-edge to Krishnamurthy at cover. In her next over, Poonam removed debutant Beth Mooney for 34.
Just when the Australian graph was going northwards, Alyssa Healy, Southern Stars’ wicket-keeper, turned things around in a dramatic fashion. She slammed three boundaries in her first six balls including a reverse sweep, providing the much needed momentum. She then hit Niranjana Nagarajan for two successive sixes and followed it up with a boundary to earn 19 runs in the penultimate over. From the other end, Alex Blackwell hit two more boundaries as the two brought up a 50-run stand in just 21 balls. Stunned by the onslaught that resulted in 56 runs in just four overs, Indians recovered extremely well to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brief scores: Aus women 140/5 (Alyssa Healy 41 not out, Beth Mooney 36, Poonam Yadav 2/26) Ind women 141/5 (Harmanpreet Kaur 46, Veda Krishnamurthy 35, Megan Schutt 2/23) by 5 wickets
