Kolkata: Harmanpreet Kaur survived a dropped catch to score a valiant unbeaten fifty but Australia showed their mettle in India’s tricky chase of 152 at Sharjah on Sunday, winning by nine runs and making it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup a record ninth time.

Needing 14 from the last six balls, Kaur could only muster two singles as India lost Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav to implode on the cusp of what could have been a very famous victory. India’s fate now rests on the New Zealand-Pakistan game on Monday. While Australia (8 points) are in the semi-finals, India are level with New Zealand (4 points) with a better net run rate, but the latter only need a win.

Kaur was a picture of concentration, scoring just 19 off the first 25 balls she faced. Scoring 35 in the next 22 balls — at a strike rate of 159.09 — however meant India were in the chase right till the death. Lack of partnerships undid their effort though, with India coming up with just one fifty-run stand in the latter half of the innings when they were already quite behind on the asking rate.

“I think their entire team contributes, they don’t depend on one or two players, they have a lot of all-rounders who contribute,” Kaur said after the match. “We also planned well and we were there in the game. They didn’t give 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 players miss out.”

India are no strangers to successful 150-plus chases in the Women’s T20 World Cup. Higher too, and this was 174 against Australia in Melbourne in 2020. At Sharjah though, victory or defeat came with its own share of conditions. For India to surpass Australia’s net run rate, they had to chase the target in 10.2 overs or earlier. In case of a defeat though, India had to score at least 139 to stay above New Zealand. An easier route would have been to just win the game and let the net run rate issue sort itself out. Which India tried to achieve at their own pace.

Looking in the zone, Shafali Verma thumped Megan Schutt over mid-off for four before going forward and hoicking her for a massive six. But that momentum was frittered away when Ashleigh Gardner got Verma to hole out and be caught at long-on. Sent ahead of Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues quickly got down to business by skipping down the pitch and getting consecutive boundaries but she too couldn’t clear deep midwicket, barely an over after Smriti Mandhana was trapped leg before.

It finally took a 63-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Kaur and Deepti Sharma to open up the chase. With Australia trying to take pace off the ball, both Kaur and Sharma tried to work the leg-side and third man regions. And once Australia were forced to put fielders to plug those gaps, Kaur went squarer. So, when Darcie Brown dug in short, Kaur pulled her towards deep backward square leg for four. That shot also coincided with Australia sailing through to the semi-finals on net run rate.

A diving Brown dropping Kaur at deep backward square leg next over was just the bit of drama that chase needed as it prompted the India captain to start finding the gaps. Sharma took the initiative though, paddling Georgia Wareham for four before sweeping Sophie Molineux for another four.

Ninety-nine for three after 15 overs, and it could have been anybody’s game. But Australia showed why they are runaway world champions for a reason as Molineux bounced back with a slower ball which Sharma couldn’t clear deep mid-wicket. Once Richa Ghosh was run out from almost halfway down the crease, India were slowly closed out of the game.

In hindsight, India could have finished better with their bowling after Renuka Thakur struck twice in the third over. But Grace Harris, opening for the fourth time in her T20 career, slowly guided Australia out of a difficult situation before stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath (32 off 26 balls) and Ellyse Perry hammered 32 off 23 to propel Australia to a more than competitive total. Which, from 37/2 after the powerplay, and 65/2 in 10 overs, once again underlined how ahead of the pack Australia really are in women’s cricket.

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