MUMBAI: The Indian Women Cricket team have made their way to the final of the Women World Cup Cricket as in one of the most thrilling matches as they chased 339 runs with nine balls to spare. Jemimah Rodrigues played the innings of her life as she anchored her innings by playing each ball on merit and scored 127 runs of 134 balls. She was ably supported by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur who made 89 runs of 88 deliveries.
Richa Ghosh was another player who made a significantly valuable contribution of 26 runs. India needed 48 runs in the last six overs and Rodrigues and Ghosh did not lose the momentum and hit the ball across the boundary as team India stunned the seven-time champions Australia.
India secured a spot in the ICC Women’s World Cup clash against South Africa.
A fabulous century from Phoebe Litchfield (119 in 93 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes) was the crowning jewel of Australia’s innings as they posted a massive 338 runs. However, a 167-run stand between Jemimah Rodrigues (127* in 134 balls, with 14 boundaries) and Harmanpreet Kaur (89 in 88 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes) helped India overcome an early slump.
Cameos from Richa Ghosh (26* in 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Amanjot Kaur (15* in eight balls, with two fours) helped India chase down the highest-ever target in women’s ODI history. With India and South Africa in the final, the world will get to witness a first-time champion either way on November 2.
After Australia elected to bat first at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, Litchfield, along with an experienced Ellyse Perry, helped the Aussies overcome the early loss of captain Alyssa Healy, smashing 119 in 93 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes. Her runs came at a strike rate of 127.95.
Litchfield had a 155-run stand with Perry (77 in 88 balls, with six fours and two sixes), which laid down a solid platform for the Aussies at 180/2 when Amanjot Kaur (1/51) rattled the centurion’s stumps. Shree Charani (2/49) and Radha Yadav (1/66) reduced Australia to 265/6, despite Perry’s half-century, in 41.4 overs.
However, a stand of 66 runs between Gardner (63 in 45 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Kim Garth (17) took the Aussies past the 300-run mark. In the final few overs, the Aussies went from 331/7 to 338 all out, setting India a mammoth 339 runs to win.
Litchfield’s knock made her the youngest to score a Women’s World Cup knockout century.
She continued her golden run against India, having scored 627 runs against them in nine innings at an average of 69.66, with two centuries, four fifties and a best score of 119. She has never been dismissed for below 25 by India in women’s ODIs.
She joined the company of skipper Healy (170 against England in the 2022 WC final and 129 against WI in the 2022 semifinal) and Karen Rolton (107* against India in the 2005 edition final) as the third Aussie to score a century in a 50-over World Cup knockout match.
During the run-chase of 339 runs, the Aussies got just what they wanted. They prevented Shafali Verma (10 in four balls, with two fours) from making an impact, reducing India to 13/1, with Kim Garth drawing the first blood. Jemimah Rodrigues joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease and both kept the tempo up, taking the team to the 50-run mark in 8.2 overs.
Garth struck gold, removing a red-hot Smriti for a run-a-ball 24 (with two fours and a six), with the batter giving a faint nick to Alyssa Healy behind the stumps. India was 59/2 in 9.2 overs, with their most in-form batter out.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur started slow, with Jemimah collecting boundaries at the other end, helping India reach the 100-run mark in 17 overs. The duo brought a fifty-run stand in just 53 balls.
Rodrigues made the most of her promotion up top, reaching the 50-run mark in 57 balls, with eight fours, while the skipper anchored from the other end. The duo continued going full blast against the Aussies, bringing up their 100-run and 150-run partnerships in 99 and 140 balls, respectively.
Kaur also continued her hot streak in 50-over knockouts, registering a half-century in 65 balls. This was her third fifty-plus score in the third 50-over WC knockout match, sitting just next to Aussie legend Belinda Clark (with four such scores in six innings).
India was at the 200-run mark in 31.2 overs. With each close call, dropped catch and good-for-nothing appeal, tensions grew within the Aussie camp.
A poor shot from the skipper ended a 167-run stand between these two was undone by Annabel Sutherland, Australia’s golden arm, with Gardner taking an easy catch at deep mid-wicket. Harman was done for at 89 in 88 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes. India was 226/3 in 35.3 overs.
This 167-run stand turned out to be India’s highest in women’s WC knockout matches for any wicket, outdoing Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma’s 137-run stand in the semifinals of the 2017 edition against the same opponent. But a lot had to be done, despite this record-breaking partnership.
Deepti was sent next. While she showed great intent with some boundaries, a poor call for a run led to her being run out for a 17-ball 24, with three fours. India was down four wickets for 264 runs in 40.5 overs. The stand was once again cut short at 38 runs, disrupting India’s chase.
With a single against Megan Schutt, Rodrigues reached her third ODI ton in just 115 balls, with 10 fours. She became only the second Indian with a WC knockout ton after Harmanpreet’s 171* against Australia during the 2017 WC semifinals. India’s attacking intent, as highlighted by a gigantic six by Richa Ghosh over long-off, left India to chase 63 in the final eight overs.
Richa continued to steer India towards a win, with a four against Sutherland and a four and six in Gardner’s over. India was left with 34 to get in the final five overs. India had reached the 300-run mark in 44.4 overs.
Sutherland’s golden arm did its magic as Richa handed an easy catch to Garth at backward point while attempting a slice. The wicketkeeper-batter had gone back for 26 in 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes. India was 310/5, needing 29 in 24 balls.
Sophie Molineux’s 47th over produced just six runs despite a boundary on the first ball by Jemimah, leaving India with 23 needed in the final three overs.
Sutherland’s 48th over cooled off some pressure, as two wides and two fours from Jemimah brought down the equation to 10 runs in 14 balls. The equation came down to eight in the final two overs.
In the penultimate over, Amanjot shaved off the remainder of the deficit, taking India to a win with nine balls left.
Brief Scores: India: 341/5 in 48.3 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 127*, Harmanpreet Kaur 89, Kim Garth 2/46) beat Australia: 338 in 49.5 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 119, Ellyse Perry 77, Shree Charani 2/49). (With inputs from ANI)
