India came out all guns blazing in defending this score. The two fast bowlers, Renuka Singh Thakur and Kranti Goud struck once each removing Aussie openers Alyssa Healy and Georgia Voll before the spinners in Sneh Rana and Radha Yadav removed Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry. India have been shoddy in the field as well with players getting lives.
All eyes are on Annabel Sutherland who will be the key now as she was dropped by Radha Yadav and she has Ashleigh Gardner for company. Australia bat deep and are not out of the contest by any means. They can pounce and come back in the contest. India ahead, but must not be complacent by any means at all is the general feeling.
India strikes early to put Australia under pressure in the power play
Chasing 293 for the win, captain Alyssa Healy and Georgia Voll came out to bat for Australia while Kranti Goud had ball in hand for India. Healy made her intentions clear as she played the square drive over backward point region as the ball raced away to the fence. Renuka Singh Thakur came into the attack from the other end. Georgia Voll got a lifeline as Richa Ghosh dropped her off Thakur. But Thakur drew first blood for India as she dismissed Voll for a duck.
Thakur bowled a short of a length delivery outside off-stump. Voll hung back and looked to pull it away on the leg side. She got an inside edge as the ball crashed into the stumps. Ellyse Perry came out to bat next. Goud continued and bowled a tidy over. Thakur too kept things under check. Goud then got her reward as she removed Alyssa Healy for 9 off 19 balls with a boundary to her name.
Goud pitched it up at the pads, Healy flicked it away aerially on the leg side. Reddy at deep backward square leg settled underneath it and took a comfortable catch. Beth Mooney came out to bat next. Perry managed to hit Thakur for a boundary as she climbed onto the short and wide delivery past the left of short third man. There was an appeal by the Indians for caught behind against Mooney but Richa failed to hold onto the catch as Mooney actually got a reprieve.
Runs were coming in a trickle as Thakur also kept things under check. India’s ground fielding was on point as Goud too kept things under check. Thakur came to bowl the final over of first powerplay. Perry broke the shackles somewhat as she hit Thakur by pressing forward and lofted it over the top of mid-on for a boundary. At the end of the powerplay of 10 overs, Australia were struggling at 25/2.
Ellyse Perry & Beth Mooney consolidates for Australia as they reach 56/2 in 16 overs at Drinks Break
Kranti Goud continued after the mandatory powerplay and bowled a decent over. Thakur continued as Perry pressed forward and creamed through the covers for a boundary. Perry was not done yet as she drove Thakur past the diving mid-on fielder as the ball went down the ground for a boundary. Sneh Rana came onto bowl next. She bowled a tight first over from her end.
Arundhati Reddy was introduced into the attack next. Reddy gifted away five wides to the batting side as bonus runs for Australia. Then another important moment happened as Beth Mooney while batting on 9 was dropped by Harleen Deol off Sneh Rana at wide long-off as Deol could not hold onto the catch. How costly will this miss be? Only time will tell. Reddy bowled another tidy over as Australia reached 56/2 in 16 overs when the umpires called for the first Drinks Break of the second innings. Australia are fighting back, India spilling catches as the match is nicely poised at this stage.
Mooney & Perry fall as India tighten the screws despite being sloppy on the field
Sneh Rana continued after the Break. Mooney used her feet and danced down the track to hit it down the ground for a boundary. The 50-run stand came up between Perry and Mooney. Rana got the breakthrough for India as Mooney was dismissed for 18 off 34 balls with a boundary to her name. Rana tossed it up full around the fifth stump line slower through the air. Mooney stepped down the track and looked to go inside out. She chipped it in the air from the outer half of the blade. Reddy at deep extra cover settled underneath it to take the catch. She dived forward to take a good catch.
Annabel Sutherland comes out to bat next. Renuka Singh Thakur came back into the attack. Sutherland hit her for a boundary as she punched it through the covers. Renuka injured herself and walked off the field as Reddy completed the over. Sutherland hit Reddy for a boundary helping it on its way to long leg. Perry innovated and hit Rana for a boundary by reverse sweeping past the left of short third man.
Deepti Sharma came into the attack next. She bowled a miserly over as Australia reached 83/3 in 20 overs. Radha Yadav was next introduced into the attack. She dropped Annabel Sutherland off her own bowling with Sutherland batting on 13 as India continued to spill catches left, right and centre. Deepti continued and bowled a tight over. Radha too kept things under check as the 100 came up for Australia in 23 overs. Deepti Sharma too bowled a tight over.
Radha Yadav then provided India the breakthrough as she got rid of Ellyse Perry for 44 off 61 balls with 5 fours to her name. She tossed it up full around off-stump. Perry stepped down the track and drove it straight down the ground. Perry failed to keep it down. Radha dived to her left and grabbed a fabulous catch. Ashleigh Gardner came out to bat next. At the halfway stage of the chase, Australia were 108/4 in 25 overs with Sutherland on 28* off 28 balls and Gardner on 0* off 3 balls.
What Lies Ahead
The match is interestingly poised at 108/4 in 25 overs. India struck early and a good powerplay first up. But Australia fought back and were helped with dropped catches by India. The Aussies bat deep and if they keep wickets in hand they can still make a match out of it and win the game. India are ahead at this stage but they must not be complacent against the reigning world champions.
Let us see how things unfold as this match enters the second half and is delicately poised at this stage. We could be in for a thriller.
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