3rd T20I: Smriti Mandhana fifty in vain as India lose T20I series 2-0 to Australia

India’s women lost 2-0 to Australia in a 3-match T20I series, losing in a 14-run series final at the Carrara Oval in Gold Coast on Sunday. Chasing 150, India finished with 135 for 6 out of 20 races, failing to accelerate at the start of the chase.

With the defeat in the T20 series, India lost the multi-format series 5-11. They had made a spirited start to the tour, ending Australia’s 26-match unbeaten run with a victory in the 3rd ODI. However, India had lost the ODI series 1-2.

The visitors dominated the one-off Test as Mithali Raj’s side drew the historic pink-ball match at the Carrara Oval last month. India posted a mammoth 377/8 declared before putting pressure on Australia with the ball in the rain-affected Test match.

Smriti Mandhana has been the star of India’s batting show on the tour of Australia and the opener stepped up in chase of 150 in the 3rd T20I. However, none of the Indian batters were able to accelerate at the right time, leaving too much for the middle-order to do in the end.

Lack of acceleration at top cost India
Smriti Mandhana hit a 49-ball 52 and Jemimah Rodrigues hit 23 from 26 balls after the early dismissal of Shafali Verma. With captain Harmanpreet Kaur failing to get going when the asking rate shot, India were under considerable pressure.

Richa Ghosh hit two big sixes and finished with a 11-ball 23 but her fireworks in the last over came a little too late as the equation came down to 36 from one over for the visitors.

India came up with a valiant battle despite posting only 118 in the 2nd T20I but Australia made sure they won the big moments to go 1-0 up after the series opener was washed out due to rain on October 7.

Stressing that it was a productive tour for India, Harmanpreet Kaur said the visitors improved with every passing day in Australia. Notably, as many as 8 India players will stay back in Australia for Women’s Big Bash League.

“The result wasn’t in our favour but Pooja Vastrakar did really well throughout the tournament, Richa Ghosh took a lot of responsibility, we can take a lot of positives from this and we are on the right track. We have shown our performance day by day, whenever we get an opportunity, we need to prove ourselves and that’s what we did throughout this tour,” Harmanpreet Kaur said.