Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Harmanpreet Kaur’s effort goes in vain as India lose series against Australia

In a nail-biting contest at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Australia they held on for a 9 run victory India in Match 18 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. Both teams fought hard, but Australia came out on top in a close-fought match. Sophie Molineux he was named Man of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance, taking two crucial wickets to stop India’s chase.

Australia sets a competitive target with key contributions from Grace Harris and Ellyse Perry

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first on a sluggish pitch. While their innings got off to a shaky start, with opener Beth Mooney falling early for just 2 runs, Grace Harris held the fort, scoring 40 off 41 balls, anchoring the innings. She received strong support from Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath, who both added 32 runs apiece. Perry’s quick knock came from just 23 balls, including two fours and a six, helping Australia post 151/8 in 20 overs.

India’s bowlers, especially Renuka Singh Thakur and Deepti Sharma, stood out for their performances. Thakur took 2 wickets for 24 runs, while Deepti again got two scalps, conceding 28 runs. Shreyanka Patil, Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav chipped in with a wicket each, slowing Australia down in the dying overs.

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India’s chase falters despite Harmanpreet Kaur’s half-century

Chasing 152, India Women got off to a promising start but soon found themselves in trouble as they lost both their openers early. Shafali Verma scored 20 runs in 13 overs, including two fours and a six, but his dismissal created a small dent, as Smriti Mandhana (6) and Jemimah Rodrigues (16) fell short. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played the captain’s ball, hitting an unbeaten 54 off 47 balls with six boundaries to keep India in the hunt. He shared a valuable partnership with Deepti Sharma, who contributed 29 runs from 25 deliveries.

However, Australia’s bowlers are falling back to normal times. Sophie Molineux was instrumental in breaking partnerships, finishing with figures of 2 for 32 from her 4 overs. Megan Schutt, Ashleigh Gardner and Annabel Sutherland also took crucial wickets to halt India’s progress. Sutherland, in particular, was frugal, conceding only 22 runs in his 4 overs while claiming two wickets.

Despite Harmanpreet’s efforts, India faltered in the death overs, losing wickets in quick succession. No lower-order batsmen could provide the finishing touch, and India eventually failed, with 142/9 in their 20 overs.

Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 54 in India’s 9-run defeat against Australia#women’s cricket #INDVAUS #T20I #HarmanpreetKaur #CricketTwitter #Women’s cricket pic.twitter.com/1jKKJlJfu2

– WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) October 13, 2024

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This article was originally published on WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.