HEARTBREAK FOR STARTERS!

Aussie Women Claw Back From The Brink To Deny India As Renuka’s 4/18 Goes In Vain

In the end, having let go of a golden opportunity to beat mighty Australia, the Indian women’s team was left heartbroken. For a while, fired by a sensational opening spell by seamer Renuka Singh Thakur, who took a T20I career-best 4/18, India seemed to be on top of the Southern Stars in the opening clash at Edgbaston on Friday, having reduced them to 49/5 in the eighth over in pursuit of 155.

A huge upset looked to be on the cards when Renuka dismantled Australia’s famed top order of Alysaa Healy (0), Beth Mooney (10), skipper Meg Lanning (8) and Tahilia McGrath (14) in quick succession, leaving them tottering at 34/4 in the fifth over.

52* Unbeaten match-winning runs by Ashleigh Gardner, her fifth half-century in T20Is, second against India women and fourth in a winning cause

However, bouncing back from the early setbacks in tremendous fashion, the seven-time ODI and current T20 world champions then showed why they are the true, unbeatable ‘superpower’ of women’s cricket. Slamming a match-winning half-century, Ashleigh Gardner (52 not out, 35b, 9x4), Grace Harris (37, 20b, 5x4, 2x6) and No. 9 Alana King (18 not out, 16b, 3x4) displayed the might of Australia’s batting depth, as the gold-medal favourites cantered to the target with an over to spare.