MUMBAI: The Australia women’s cricket team secured victory in the three-match Twenty20 International series against India with a 2-1 result after defeating the hosts by nine wickets in the final match.
In the third WT20I at Mumbai’s Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, India batted first after losing the toss and posted a total of 147-6. Richa Ghosh, the wicketkeeper, was the leading run-scorer with a 28-ball 34, featuring two fours and three sixes. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma contributed 29 and 26 runs, respectively. Australia’s Georgia Wareham and Annabel Sutherland claimed two wickets each.
Australia encountered some challenges in their pursuit of 148 but successfully chased down the target in 18.4 overs with three wickets down. Captain Alyssa Healy, who had yet to make a significant impact on the tour, led from the front with a match-winning fifty. Healy scored 55 off 38 balls, including nine fours and a six. She formed an 85-run opening partnership with Beth Mooney, who remained unbeaten for half a century. Mooney’s 52-run innings came from 45 balls and included five boundaries.
The tour had its ups and downs for Alyssa Healy’s side, starting with a comprehensive defeat in the one-off Test. However, they bounced back to sweep the hosts 3-0 in the Women’s One Day International series and concluded with a 2-1 victory in the WT20I series.
