India suffered an embarrassing defeat against Australia in the final Group A match of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday, October 13 in Sharjah. Such a narrow nine-run margin was shocking, and it severely dented their chances to gain the semi-final berth. The team now depends on the outcome of the Pakistan-New Zealand match.
What Went Wrong For India?
India bowled first and managed to keep the defending champions to 151 for 8. The batting side went tumbling and ended up at 142 for 9. Though Harmanpreet Kaur was the top scorer of the match with 54 runs but the skipper came under scrutiny for the decision that she took in the final over.
India needed 14 runs, and Harmanpreet was the batter at the crease. She had just crossed the half-century milestone and was expected to take her team towards a win. She took a single off the first ball, and Pooja Vastrakar came ahead of her came on crease.
Pacer Annabel Sutherland then dismissed Vastrakar on the second ball. Third ball runout induced Arundhati Reddy and then Harmanpreet came to face the fourth over, but after taking a single chose not to face two, so Shreyanka Patil was at the crease with 12 runs needed off two balls, but Patil became a victim of run out after a wide delivery, and Radha Yadav was LBW on the very next one. At the crease, Renuka Singh just got a single off the last ball to ensure there’s a nine-run win for Australia.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s Single In Last Over
Harmanpreet Kaur made a goof-up in India vs Australia match, only 3 balls were left and she took a single. The fans all around have been befuddled by the decision as to why did Harmanpreet decide to play cautiously in such a crucial situation, when explosive hitting was expected out of her.
“(On the difference between the two sides tonight) I think their entire team contribute, they don’t depend on one or two players, they have a lot of all-rounders who contribute. We also planned well and we were there in the game. They didn’t gave away easy runs and made it difficult. They are an experienced side. That is something that is not in your control, you have to always keep your playing eleven ready even when one or two player misses out,” said Harmanpreet Kaur after a shocking loss against Australia.
