India eye win against Australia in second T20
Aiming to establish an unassailable lead over Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur’s India would draw confidence from a strong bowling performance in the rain-hit opening win when the two sides square off in the second and penultimate T20 International on Thursday.
It was a commanding display from seamer Arundhati Reddy, whose four-wicket haul rattled the hosts and spearheaded a superb bowling effort as Australia were unable to bat out their 20 overs and were bundled out for a below-par 133.
The bowlers enjoyed a solid workout as the long series, also featuring three ODIs and a one-off Test, unfolded. On the batting front, only openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma managed meaningful time in the middle as rain played spoilsport and the match was decided by the Duckworth-Lewis System, leaving the rest of the batting unit potentially a touch under-prepared.
But given India’s formidable batting line-up and the fact that most of the players featured in the recently-concluded Women’s Premier League, there is little concern about a failure as they carry ample game time into the contest despite the rain-affected opener in Sydney.
India will once again bank on a blazing start from Shafali, the standout performer in last year’s World Cup final against South Africa, and Mandhana’s charismatic batting, followed by Jemimah Rodrigues. Rodrigues singlehandedly knocked Australia out of the World Cup with a match-winning century under testing conditions in the semifinals.
With the Women’s T20 World Cup in England later this year, the gruelling series here serves as a dress rehearsal for the global tournament, and clinching the three-match T20I rubber will give India a crucial head-start against the world’s most successful team. The performance of pace-bowling stalwart Renuka Singh, who bowled four miserly overs and claimed two wickets, was encouraging. Together with Arundhati, the duo accounted for six wickets — a huge boost for India, which has traditionally relied on the spin duo of Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani for success.
Australia, led by new skipper Sophie Molineux, will be eager for revenge and to level the series. However, there would be immense pressure on their star-studded top order featuring some of the biggest names in world cricket, including Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, and Ashleigh Gardner. The collective collapse of the home side’s batting defies logic, with six players managing single-digit scores and Georgia Wareham topping the charts with just 30 runs.
While rain and wet conditions may have played a part in Sydney, Australia, renowned for thriving at home, produced a surprisingly disappointing performance. Molineux will be eager to assert herself in the leadership role and prove herself as a worthy successor to the legendary Alyssa Healy.
