The multi-format series between Australia Women and India Women has been affected by the weather of Queensland for two games in a row. After almost four sessions getting washed out in the one-off Test, the first T20 international between the two teams also ended in a no result. The hosts keep their two points lead intact with two T20 matches to go.
Only 15.2 overs of play was possible, in which India were 131/4 and would feel hard done by the weather. Jemimah Rodrigues was the star of the match for her excellent 49* off 36. It put the visitors in a commanding position before the floodgates in the sky opened.
As it happened, Meg Lanning won the toss and sent the visitors in to bat. Tyla Vlaeminck, rated as the fastest bowler in the women’s game, was playing her first game of the tour. She bowled some serious pace and her battle with Shafali Verma was quite exciting.
Mandhana, on the other end, smashed Sophie Molineux for 14 runs in the second over. Vlaeminck again troubled Shafali for the most part in the third over, but the Indian batter got hold of one full delivery to launch it over long on.
Mandhana tried to take on offspinner Ashleigh Gardner but holed out at mid-off for 17 off 10 after adding 31 in 3.2 overs for the first wicket. The wicket did not affect Verma’s intent as she smashed Gardner for a six over wide long-on in the same over.
Shafali (18 off 14) tried to repeat it on the next ball but was caught at deep midwicket by Georgia Wareham. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored three fine-looking boundaries before she was trapped plumb by Molineux on 12 off 5 as India finished the powerplay on 55/3.
Rodrigues played some delightful strokes and pierced the gaps well to find boundaries consistently. Along with Yastika Bhatia, she added 51 runs for the fourth wicket.
Bhatia, who was given a reprieve by an umpiring howler on the first ball, was holed out at long-off by Wareham’s leg-spin on run-a-ball 15. The next batter in, Richa Ghosh smashed Tahlia McGrath for three boundaries in an over. With the scoreboard reading 131/4 in 15.2 overs, the rain interrupted the match. India would feel unlucky as they were looking set for a total in excess of 180.
Both the teams shared one point each as Australia lead the scoreline by 7 points to India’s 5. They will meet each other in the second T20I on Saturday at the same venue Metricon Stadium.
Brief Scores
India Women – 131/4 in 15.2 overs (Rodrigues 49*, Verma 18; Gardner 2/28, Wareham 1/3)
No Result.
