India v Australia T20Is – Women
Australia took an unassailable series lead over India in Mumbai but the narrow victory was marred by a calf injury that forced Alyssa Healy from the field
Laura Jolly at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
18 December 2022, 04:00 AM AEST
@JollyLauz18
Australia have held on in a thriller to defeat India by seven runs in Mumbai, but their series-sealing victory was marred by an injury to captain Alyssa Healy.
Healy pulled up in obvious pain after hitting a boundary in sixth over and was seen to by medical staff, but just faced just one more ball before retiring hurt on 30 off 21.
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A calf strain puts the opener and wicketkeeper in serious doubt for the series finale. If she does not play, it will end her world record run of 106 consecutive T20I matches, a streak that started on January 24, 2013.
Midge 😥 The skipper has had to retire hurt after an injury to her right leg. 🤞 for good news to come #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/ElCJqS91Cw
Her injury was the sour note on a brilliant evening at Brabourne Stadium, as a stunning display of T20 hitting from Ellyse Perry (72no off 42), Ashleigh Gardner (42 off 27) and Grace Harris (27no off 12) helped Australia to 3-188.
Harmanpreet Kaur hammered 46 off 30 to keep her side in the chase, before a late salvo from teenager Richa Ghosh (40no off 19) threatened to snatch victory from the tourists.
Stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath tossed the ball to Megan Schutt with 20 runs to defend off the final over and the experienced death bowler came up clutch, sealing an unassailable 3-1 series lead.
Oh wow, another nail bitter here 😬🥴 #INDvsAUS
Australia had been effectively three down for 70 runs at the 10-over mark after being sent in by India, following the early losses of their top two-ranked batters and the injury to Healy.
But after Perry, Gardner and then Harris unleashed, they added 118 runs off the final 60 balls.
Beth Mooney (2 off 8) was tied down early, becoming frustrated before she hit a simple catch down the throat of Deepti Sharma at mid-on.
When McGrath was bowled by Radha Yadav an over later, Australia were essentially 3-46.
Perry and Gardner came together and steadied, before running riot.
Perry – who immediately signalled her intent when she hit the first ball she faced straight over the bowlers' head for six – had posted her fastest international fifty in the previous game, off 33 balls, but tonight went one better, getting there off 32 balls.
Pez has been smoking 'em! Another fifty! #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/yMvdlsq2PN
Gardner cleared the boundary three times in hr 27-ball 42 before her 93-run stand with Perry was finally broken by Deepti Sharma.
But for a second straight match Harris arrived in a bullish mood, finding the boundary first ball.
The hard-hitting Queenslander and Perry put on 43 runs from the last three overs, an onslaught that included four fours and three sixes, helping Australia to their highest total of the series.
Gardner (2-20) and Alana King (2-23) then led the way with the ball as India were restricted to 5-181.
With McGrath standing in as on-field captain for Healy, and Mooney taking the gloves, Australia struck early blows to put the pressure on India's middle-order.
Gardner removed Smriti Mandhana (16 off 10) in the third over, then Shafali Verma (20 off 16) and Jemimah Rodrigues (8 off 11) departed in quick succession, India were in trouble at 3-49 after seven overs.
Kaur smacked the first six of India's innings from the final ball of the 10th, and with India still needing 112 off the last 60 balls, her side essentially needed to match Australia's fast finish to keep the series alive.
As she escalated with four boundaries off Graham in the 13th as the 12,000-strong crowd likewise ramped up the volume, waving their phone torches in an outpouring of adulation for their skipper.
Alana King got the critical breakthrough as a miscued sweep lobbed up into the safe hands of Darcie Brown at short fine leg, ending the Kaur's onslaught on 46.
Ghosh got to work with back-to-back fours, then was dropped on 17 when McGrath could not hold on to a chance that flew high into the hazy Mumbai sky.
With 38 needed off the last two overs, Ghosh continued to ride her luck, smacking back-to-back sixes – one of those dropped over the rope by Gardner – before an edge flew for four.
Schutt had 20 to defend off the last but held her nerve against the aggressive Ghosh and Sharma, sealing a seven-run win and an unassailable 3-1 lead with a game to play.
Australia's T20I tour of India
1st T20I: Australia won by 9 wickets
2nd T20I: Match tied (India won the Super Over)
3rd T20I: Australia won by 21 runs
4th T20I: Australia won by seven runs
5th T20I: December 20, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai (Dec 21, 12.30am AEDT)
Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Devika Vaidya, S Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol
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