An superior show of hitting by Ash Gardner and Grace Harris has secured Australia a 4-1 collection win within the T20 worldwide collection in India.
The duo smashed 129 in 10.2 overs in an unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership in Mumbai, offering the platform for a formidable 54-run win.
New South Walian Gardner cracked 66 off 32 balls with 11 fours and a six. Queenslander Harris bludgeoned 64 off 35 with six fours and fours sixes.
After Australia, put into bat, racked up 4-196 off their 20 overs on the historic Brabourne Stadium, India may solely muster 142, being all out off the ultimate ball.
World ranked No.3 batter Smriti Mandhana went for 4 within the first over after which wickets tumbled usually. Harleen Deol (24 off 16 balls) received going however she was run out by stand-in skipper Talia McGrath.
Belated resistance got here from Deepti Sharma, who snacked 53 off 34 balls earlier than being final out, fittingly caught on the ropes by Gardner off Heather Graham.
That gave Graham outstanding figures of 4 wickets for eight runs off two overs. She additionally took a high quality catch on the long-on boundary however as within the fourth match Gardner was the all-round star once more taking 2-20 off 4 overs and including two catches apart from her batting.
Australian captain Alyssa Healy had strained her calf whereas batting within the fourth match so McGrath took the reins, Beth Mooney the gloves, and Phoebe Litchfield stepped in as opener. Australia additionally made a change of their bowling assault with Kim Garth changing Megan Schutt.
Litchfield, taking part in in her second worldwide however making her batting debut, started effectively, straight-driving her second ball to the boundary. She then gained a lucky six as an tried run-out as she ran two produced 4 overthrows.
However, off her ninth ball she was stumped for 11 as she sought to assault Sharma.
That left Australia 2-17 halfway by means of the third over as Mooney was already again within the hutch after chopping on fourth ball for 2.
By the tip of the fifth over, with Australia 2-24, McGrath knew it was time to guide by instance. Hitting sixes over additional cowl and long-on the No.1 girls’s T20 batter took 17 off the sixth over, plus a large.
However, by the tip of the tenth over each McGrath (stumped for a run-a-ball 26) and the in-form Ellyse Perry (caught at long-on for 18 off 14) have been gone as Australia reached the mid-point 4-72.
Gardner and Harris steadied issues, then lower free with Gardner hitting 4 successive fours within the thirteenth over and Harris hitting three sixes in seven balls throughout the following two. They saved that tempo up hitting not less than two boundaries off every of the final eight overs as India wilted to the extent two extra units of 4 overthrows have been conceded.
Harris went to her maiden T20I 50 in 28 balls with a six, Gardner, two deliveries later, to her half-century off 25 with a 4. Between them that they had crushed India’s spirit and set Australia on the right track for victory.
