On Thursday night, Australia defeated Harmanpreet Kaur-led India in the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final match by a narrow margin of five runs. After winning the toss, Australia chose to bat first and posted a challenging total of 172/4 in 20 overs, thanks to Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning’s strong performances. In four overs, India lost three wickets; however, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues revived their chances with a 69-run partnership. However, India fell short of the target and lost the match by five runs, allowing Australia to advance to their seventh consecutive final in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
The match’s turning point was the unusual run-out of Harmanpreet Kaur, who got her bat stuck while attempting a second run and could not make it back to the crease, resulting in her dismissal for 52 runs. India’s poor fielding and catching helped Australia set a challenging target of 172. Despite Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues’ efforts, India couldn’t chase it down.
India’s loss in another knockout game means they still have to wait for their first world title. This defeat comes after India’s loss to Australia in the previous Women’s T20 World Cup final and the CWG final last year.