Women's T20 World Cup: India's semifinal hopes dwindle after loss to Australia
Except for captain Harmanpreet Kaur (54 not out), no other Indian batter could make a significant impact.
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FollowIndia suffered a nine-run defeat against Australia in a crucial Women's T20 World Cup match. Australia, opting to bat first at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, set a target of 151 runs. Grace Harris (40), Tahlia McGrath (32), and Ellyse Perry (32) were the top scorers. In reply, India managed only 142 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (54 not out) was the lone warrior, with no other batter making a significant contribution. Sophie Molineux took two wickets for Australia. This defeat has handed a huge blow to India's semi-final hopes. India's only remaining chance hinges on Pakistan upsetting New Zealand in their upcoming match.
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India's start was shaky, losing top-order batters Shafali Verma (20), Smriti Mandhana (6), and Jemimah Rodrigues (16) with only 47 runs on the board. Kaur and Deepti Sharma (29) then added 63 runs for the fourth wicket. India collapsed after Deepti's dismissal in the 16th over. Richa Ghosh (1), Pooja Vastrakar (9), Arundhati Reddy (0), Shreyanka Patil (0), Radha Yadav (0) were the other wickets to fall. Renuka Thakur (1) remained not out with Harmanpreet.
Earlier, Australia also had a poor start, losing Beth Mooney (2) and Georgia Wareham (0) with only 17 runs on the board. Renuka Thakur took both wickets. Grace and McGrath then added 62 runs for the third wicket. Radha Yadav provided the breakthrough for India by dismissing McGrath in the 12th over.
Deepti Sharma dismissed Grace soon after. However, Perry continued to score runs. Phoebe Litchfield (15) and Annabel Sutherland (10) made crucial contributions. Besides Perry, Ashleigh Gardner (6) was the other wicket to fall. Litchfield and Megan Schutt (0) remained not out. Renuka Thakur and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each for India.
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