Australia are yet to lose a match in any format this year, and they are just showing why. They weren't at the top of their game, at least in the death overs with the ball but Mooney and McGrath made it up with the bat. India will need to work on their weaknesses and come back stronger. There, however, isn't a huge turnaround time. The two teams will meet again on Sunday, and we will be there, bringing you the full coverage as always. Till then, this is Ashish, signing off on behalf of behalf of Srinidhi and Sudeep. Goodnight!
Rafi: "Australia had their calculation dead on. By not taking any risky shot they have easily navigated the chase. A very well done performance. India need to find something special to stop them in future. "
Australia captain, Alyssa Healy : [Captaincy] It was not easy when we were out in the field, but great to get the result. I thought they were a bit below par. We knew if we batted well, we could get over the line. We didn't finish well with the ball, but we knew we were in the game. We just need to tidy up in the death overs and in the field. We have a few new personnel there. We just need to tighten things up going forward.
Beth Mooney is the Player of the Match: I love pulling the Australian shirt on. Fortunate to come up against India, who are an incredible opposition. Played a couple of nice shots and got the team over the line. The wicket was beautiful, a fast outfield, and the crowd was great.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur first up: I think 172 was enough. It was a decent total, we were in the game till the 13th over. We created chances, but the fielding was not up to the mark. In night games, it is tough to judge the ball. Radha is one of our best fielders. Dew played a role. The bowlers tried their best. If we have to win, we have to take those chances.
Presentation time
Tahlia McGrath: Nice to start off with a win. India is a special place to travel, and the crowd was great as well. It starts with training. We work very hard and strive to be better every game. We try and stay ahead of the pack, and that keeps us in good stead ahead of the WC. The Indian batters batted really well, but you got value for your shots here. Moons was outstanding here, and Midge was great.
10.01pm Mooney is the No.1 T20 batter in the world, and she showed just why! That was a batting clinic from her. She started slowly, rotated the strike but made sure the run rate never got out of hand. Whenever the required rate started creeping up, she found the boundaries, and found them with minimum of fuss. She relied on her placement and timing and smashed 89* off 57 balls. She was very well supported by Tahlia McGrath, who scored 40 off 29 balls. The two added an unbeaten 100-run stand for the second wicket to take their side home. Both batters got a life quite early and the duo made sure to cash in. The India bowlers were erratic at times but the fielding was all over the place to put it mildly. There were drop catches, misfields in heaps. The dew did not help too.
Deepti back. Australia need two to win.
END OF OVER:18 | 5 Runs | AUS-W: 171/1 (2 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.50, RRR: 1.00)
- Tahlia McGrath38 (28b)
- Beth Mooney89 (57b)
- Anjali Sarvani4-0-27-0
- Meghna Singh2-0-27-0
Rafi: "India need learn from this game and take the positives. It is very poor defending but Australia are a good side with all the players just coming off WBBL. "
Anjali Sarvani back into the attack
END OF OVER:17 | 19 Runs | AUS-W: 166/1 (7 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 9.76, RRR: 2.33)
- Beth Mooney88 (55b)
- Tahlia McGrath35 (24b)
- Meghna Singh2-0-27-0
- Renuka Singh4-0-33-0
Umanga: "This Australia batting is something else they bat so deep..India were never going to win it they needed wickets constantly."
