The tension was palpable even though the required rate and win predictor was starting to tilt increasingly in India’s favour. They had been here before and snatched defeats from the jaws of victory, most recently in Indore against England. So until the winning runs were scored, they knew the job wasn’t done.
But when Amanjot Kaur cut the ball to the boundary, the outburst took place. The near-invincible Australians were not just beaten, but downed in a world record run-chase. A masterful unbeaten knock of 127 from Jemimah Rodrigues powered India into the final of the Women’s ODI World Cup as they beat 7-times champions by five wickets at the DY Patil Stadium. Chasing a massive 339 runs for victory, India won with five wickets and 9 balls to spare – a significant margin in the context of the game.
As Rodrigues was on her knees on the pitch, captain Harmanpreet Kaur burst into tears as well. She has been at the receiving end of heartbreaks against Australia in the past. And speaking to JioHotstar, she revealed that there was a switch that flicked on after the defeat against England, when the usually mild-mannered had coach Amol Muzumdar reportedly gave an aggressive talk to the team saying they shouldn’t be losing matches from situations like those.
India got off to the worst possible start in their chase on Thursday. But the Rodrigues-Harmanpreet partnership of 167 off 156 balls flipped the script. While the skipper struggled at the start, Rodrigues ensured India did not fall behind the asking rate too much. She was pacing her innings with precision, combining singles and twos with the odd boundary.
Harmanpreet was unable to rotate strike as dots piled up. She was searching for that one shot that would break the shackles. That came in the 16th over when she drove Annabel Sutherland past mid-on to find some breathing space and release the pressure on Rodrigues’ shoulders.
The pair maintained a steady pace and got India to 189/2 after 30 overs. They had ensured that after a long time, Alyssa Healy and Australia had some thinking to do.
But just when it seemed India were cantering home, the holders found the breakthrough. Harmanpreet, who had negotiated a sluggish start and reached a run-a-ball strike rate, fell while trying to clear the longer boundary off Sutherland, as Ash Gardner took an outstanding catch. It ended a partnership full of patience, energy and hope.
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Deepti Sharma joined Rodrigues and used a combination of singles and excellent placement to drive the innings forward. While the former fell for 24 off 17 balls, their stand of 38 runs in 36 balls had injected fresh energy into the innings. Rodrigues held the key with 82 needed in 10 overs, but the pressure off her shoulders was eased significantly by Richa Ghosh, who played her role to perfection. She had the platform set for her and used the long handle to great effect, clearing the straight boundary and sweeping the spinners for fours.
But just when one thought India had the game in the bag, Ghosh fell, caught at short third. But Rodrigues kept her head and, with Amanjot, took India to a famous win and a place in the final.
Earlier, the recalled Shafali Verma fell LBW in the second over to give an early dent to their chances. Smriti Mandhana, joined by Rodrigues in the middle, then set about building a foundation. While the former was scratchy to start off, it was the latter who gave a real jumpstart to the innings.
Promoted to number three for a second time in three matches, Rodrigues showed intent from the word go, coupling singles with the odd boundary to set an early tempo to the chase. The pair put on 46 for the second wicket before Mandhana fell to a strangle down the legside, which was reviewed and, much to her surprise, showed a spike on the replay.
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For Australia, an outstanding knock of 119 from 93 balls from opener Phoebe Litchfield had formed the bedrock, setting India a massive target.
Offside masterclass
Peppering the offside to great effect despite Harmanpreet keeping that side well populated, Litchfield was unafraid to take the aerial route, even in the early stages, and later on even reverse-swept the ball to put enormous pressure on the Indian bowlers. She was well supported by Ellyse Perry, who could afford to take a measured approach with her partner going after the bowling.
The pair put on 155 runs for the second wicket under the hot sun on a placid surface with a fast outfield. The opener was eventually bowled by Amanjot in the 28th over, and her dismissal proved to be a turning point.
The hosts began clawing their way back as Beth Mooney, Sutherland and Tahlia McGrath fell cheaply to put a dent in the scoring rate. Left-arm spinner Sree Charani was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming 2/49 in 10 overs. The youngster was effective from both ends and seemed to have found the right length to bowl on this surface, thereby preventing the batters from taking her on. It proved a critical spell as Australia looked to be on course for a much bigger total than the eventual 338 that they finished on.
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Brief Scores: Australia 338 all out in 49.5 overs (Phoebe Lithfield 119, Ellyse Perry 77, Ashleigh Gardner 63) lost to India 341/5 in 48.3 overs (Rodrigues 127 not out, Harmanpreet 89) by five wickets
