Australia's Narrow Victory

India’s chances of making it to the T20 World Cup semifinals were dealt a major blow after a narrow nine-run loss to Australia at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Harmanpreet Kaur’s fighting unbeaten 54 kept India’s hopes alive in their chase of 151, but the team fell short in the final over, with wickets tumbling and Kaur left dejected at the non-striker's end, unable to influence the outcome. Now, India must rely on Pakistan to defeat New Zealand in their upcoming clash to stay in contention for the semifinals, while Australia secured their spot in the next round.

Harmanpreet may reflect on several crucial moments, particularly a five-over period between the 8th and 13th overs, where India managed only 25 runs. Alongside Deepti Sharma, Kaur sought to stabilise the innings, but the mounting required run rate, which climbed past 10, added pressure. Though India found themselves at 99 for 3 after 15 overs—close to Australia's 101 for 5 at the same stage—they lacked the explosive firepower that the Australian lineup boasts.

Batting at 27 off 31, Harmanpreet accelerated to reach a half-century off 44 balls, hitting boundaries off Ash Gardner and Sophie Molineux. However, with 14 runs needed off the final six deliveries, Kaur was stranded at the non-striker's end as Annabel Sutherland delivered a masterclass in death bowling, conceding just four runs and claiming two wickets.

India, who have lost both a final and a semifinal to Australia in the last two T20 World Cups, were once again chasing after stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath won the toss. To complicate matters, Asha Sobhana suffered a knee injury during warm-ups, leading to Radha Yadav stepping in as a last-minute replacement.

Radha made an immediate impact, taking a sharp catch to dismiss Beth Mooney in the third over, while Renuka Thakur struck twice in two balls to send Georgia Wareham packing. Though the decision against Wareham might have been overturned on review, Australia’s batting remained composed, with McGrath and Grace Harris steadying the innings.

McGrath got off the mark with a fine shot against Pooja Vastrakar, and despite Renuka’s tight three-over spell, Australia managed 37 runs for the loss of two wickets during the PowerPlay. Both McGrath and Harris kept the scoreboard ticking, with the former surviving a dropped catch by Harmanpreet before being stumped by Radha for 32 off 26 balls.

Harris built momentum with boundaries off Arundhati Reddy but was dismissed for 40 when she pulled Deepti Sharma straight to mid-wicket. Australia's depth allowed them to keep pushing, even after the loss of Ash Gardner.

Veteran Ellyse Perry reignited Australia’s innings, hammering Shreyanka Patil for a four and a six, while Phoebe Litchfield complemented Perry’s power with clever sweeps. Perry's quickfire 32 off 23, aided by India’s penalty for a slow over rate, helped Australia add 50 runs in the last five overs, with Litchfield smashing a six off the final ball to take the total past 150.

In response, India needed a quick start, which Shafali Verma provided by sweeping Gardner for a boundary and following up with a six off Megan Schutt. However, her aggressive innings ended at 20, when she miscued a shot to long-on. Jemimah Rodrigues kept up the momentum with two lofted boundaries off Sutherland, but Smriti Mandhana's LBW dismissal by Molineux put India under pressure.

At 48 for 3 in the seventh over, India relied on Harmanpreet and Deepti, who added 63 runs off 55 balls. Despite their efforts, the task proved too steep, leaving India just short in their pursuit.

Match Summary: Australia 151/8 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 40, Ellyse Perry 32; Renuka Thakur 2-24, Deepti Sharma 2-28) beat India 142/9 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54; Annabel Sutherland 2-22) by nine runs.