India crash out of Women’s T20 World Cup despite Harmanpreet Kaur’s heroics Cricket News:
Australia ended India’s Women’s T20 World Cup campaign with a convincing six-wicket win on Sunday, raising fresh questions about Harmanpreet Kaur’s future as India’s T20 captain. Chasing 171, the six-time champions completed the target in 19 overs thanks to a match-winning 100-run partnership between Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner.India put Australia under pressure early in the chase, reducing them to 68/3 after dismissing Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney cheaply. However, the experienced Perry (56 off 38 balls) and the tough Gardner (53 not out from 29 balls) clawed their way back into the game with a clinical display of batting.Perry relied on timing and placement, hitting eight boundaries during his innings, while Gardner attacked the Indian spinners with powerful hitting. By the time Perry was sent off, Australia were firmly in control and eventually secured a semifinal spot with a perfect Group 1 record.Earlier, India posted 170/4, a total that looked competitive only because of captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s explosive knock of 56 off just 27 balls. Openers Smriti Mandhana (38) and Shafali Verma (34) gave India a steady start in a 66-run partnership, but the scoring rate remained below expectations.Shafali was dismissed while trying to accelerate, while Mandhana was run out after a mix-up with Jemimah Rodrigues. Jemimah scored 34 from 28 balls but struggled to maintain the momentum and eventually retired before the end of the final.Harmanpreet swung the momentum late in the innings, smashing three consecutive sixes from Australian captain Sophie Molineux in the final over, helping India score 23 runs off the last six balls. However, Perry and Gardner’s partnership proved strong as Australia sealed victory and South Africa joined them in the semifinals.
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