NAVI MUMBAI, Jan 5: A resurgent India Girls produced a spotless effort to crush Australia by 9 wickets within the first T20I and take a significant 1-0 lead within the three-match collection right here on Friday.
After Titas Sadhu’s career-best figures of 4 for 17 helped India dismiss Australia for a mere 141, openers Smriti Mandhana (54) and Shafali Verma (64 not out off 44 balls) tore into the guests with a 137-run stand to ship an excellent win for his or her aspect on the DY Patil Stadium.
Having missed the final two ODIs in opposition to Australia, Shafali stroked her technique to her fifth half-century in T20Is, smashing six fours and three sixes with commanding strokes throughout the park.
Mandhana too was in her components, hitting her twenty seventh fifty total and seventh in opposition to Australia, a knock studded with seven fours and a six.
The openers separated solely once they had been one hit away from getting over the road, however not earlier than etching India’s second-best stand for the primary wicket.
India completed the match in 17.4 overs, and it was additionally their greatest win over Australia by margin of wickets.
It was additionally solely the third time Australia misplaced a T20I by this margin.
Placing their finest fielding effort throughout all matches this residence season, India not solely confirmed outstanding enchancment however remained scientific all through to not permit Australia even a sniff.
Sadhu was not the one Indian to benefit from the excessive of a person milestone — for she produced the second-best figures for any Indian bowler in T20Is in opposition to Australia after Jhulan Goswami’s 5 for 11 over a decade in the past.
Mandhana turned solely the second Indian batter after skipper Harmanpreet Kaur — and sixth total in girls’s T20Is — to have crossed the three,000-run mark.
The victory at first of this three-match rubber additionally units up India Girls completely to have a crack at a collection win — one thing they’ve by no means completed at residence in opposition to Australia.
For that matter, India have solely overwhelmed Australia as soon as in a bilateral T20I collection, rising a 2-1 winner on their 2015-16 tour.
Chasing a modest 142, India made fairly an eccentric begin, logging in 14 runs within the first over however none coming off the bat.
Australian seamer Darcie Brown peppered most of her deliveries down the leg, with two brushing Mandhana’s pads to run down the boundary ropes whereas one beating everybody on its manner for 4 byes.
Shafali immaculately cracked a 4 via cowl off Megan Schutt off the primary ball she confronted.
Mandhana too cashed in on a brief ball from Annabel Sutherland to smack it over midwicket for the primary six of the innings to get going.
Earlier, Sadhu’s four-for was complemented nicely by Deepti Sharma’s 2/24 and Shreyanka Patil 2/19 as India restricted Aussies to a below-par complete.
Whereas Sadhu rocked Australia with a three-wicket opening burst, Phoebe Litchfield (49) and Ellyse Perry (37) led the fightback for the guests with a 79-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Nevertheless, Australia, who misplaced wickets in clusters on both aspect of that stand, had been bowled out in 19.2 overs.
Sadhu returned 3-0-8-3 in her first spell within the powerplay, accounting for Beth Mooney (17), Tahlia McGrath (0) and Ashleigh Gardner (0).
The 19-year-old right-arm pacer then returned for her closing over — 18th of the innings — and located additional success dismissing Annabel Sutherland (12) for her fourth scalp.
Having topped the batting chart within the ODIs, the left-handed Litchfield carried her type into the shortest format however fell wanting a fifty. She smoked three sixes and 4 fours to make 49 from 32 balls.
Perry struck two fours and as many sixes to make 37 off 30 balls and was one of many two dismissals for Deepti, who confirmed nice management.
The one blip for India, nonetheless, got here within the twelfth over when a mistimed reverse-sweep off Litchfield’s bat fell between Renuka Singh Thakur and Jemimah Rodrigues with each the fielders ending up taking a look at one another. (PTI)
