Indian bowlers fought bravely to restrict Australia Women to 151/8 in 20 overs in the Group A match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at Sharjah. 

It is the must-win match for India Women to stay in the battle for the semifinals qualification. 

After winning the toss, the Australian stand-in captain Tahila McGrath chose to bat first. 

Renuka Singh was on a hat-trick

Pacer Renuka Singh provided a good start for India Women after dismissing Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham in back-to-back deliveries. However, Australia Women still managed to score 37/2 at the end of the powerplay.

Grace Harris and Tahila MacGrath had a good partnership

Opener Grace Harris and the stand-in skipper Tahila MacGrath had a 62-run partnership for the third wicket, which put the six-time champions in a strong position.

After McGrath was out in the 12th over, opener Harris lost her wicket in the 14th over. With the help of five fours, Harris scored 40 off 41 balls, while the stand-in captain scored 32 off 26 balls with the help of four fours. 

Ellyse Perry had a crucial cameo

The stand-in vice-captain Ellyse Perry played a crucial role in Australia Women's reaching the 150-run mark. Perry scored 32 runs off 23 balls with the help of two fours and one six. 

After Australia Women lost two successive wickets, Phoebe Litchfield smashed a sixer to end the innings. Litchfield was not out for 15 runs off nine balls.

Renuka and Deepti took two wickets each

Among the Indian bowlers, Ranuka Singh (2/24) and Deepti Sharma (2/28) took two wickets each. Shreyanka Patil (1/32), Pooja Vastrakar (1/22), and Radha Yadav (1/14) picked up one wicket each.