50/1 (5.1)
CR : 9.68
133/10 (18.0)
CR : 7.39
India Women won by 21 runs (DLS METHOD) 🏆
Player of the Match
Arundhati Reddy
4/22
4:09 PM IST, 9:39 PM local time: Rain stops play. It has gotten too heavy now. The umpires have called for the covers, and the players are going off. Remember, since 5 overs are done (at that point, the DLS par score was 29), a result is ensured. India are comfortably ahead of the DLS par score.
4:33 PM IST, 10:03 PM LOCAL TIME: The rain continues to pour, and the covers are still firmly placed. The chances for the resumption look bleak, but India Women are way ahead if we talk about the DLS score, which is 29 after 5.1 overs, and India are 21 runs ahead. Also, fyi, the covers need to be removed by 4:50 PM IST, 10:20 PM LOCAL TIME for play to resume again. Hop on for more updates!!
Over 6
India Women 50/1
Jemimah Rodrigues9(3)
Smriti Mandhana16(17)
Kim Garth0-12(1.1)
INDW won by 21 runs (DLS METHOD)
4:45 PM IST, 10:15 PM LOCAL TIME: OKAY!!! The match has been called off. Sometimes fate bats first. Sometimes rain bowls last. Cricket smiles. Humans calculate. A match full of rhythm shifts. And meteorological drama. Australia Women fought their way to 133 in 18 overs. Below par on a good surface. India Women then launched a rapid chase. Purposeful. Composed. Aggressive. At 50/1 in just 5.1 overs, they were miles ahead of the DLS equation. Par score? 29. Margin? 21 runs ahead. Result? India Women win by 21 runs (DLS). Short evening. Long talking points.
In the chase, Shafali Verma attacked early. Fielders pushed back early. Gaps opened. Pressure flipped instantly. Australia’s bowlers searched for control, but India were dictating tempo. Scoreboard ticking. Dugout relaxed. Required rate shrinking faster than a melting ice cube.
India rocketed to 50 inside 5.1 overs at a run rate of 9.67. Shafali Verma’s 21 off 11 balls was pure intent, and Mandhana at the other end was elegance personified. Calm head. Soft hands. Clever placement. Sophie Molineux did find a breakthrough, dismissing Shafali at 33/1. But the momentum? Still wearing blue. Very comfortably.
And then came the rain. Perfect timing for whom? For India Women. Absolutely perfect. The drizzle arrived with India cruising at 50/1. No panic. No drama. Just instant mathematics. DLS par score locked at 29. India were safely ahead. Handshakes followed. Australia left wondering about “what ifs.” India were smiling at “job done.” Cricket, meanwhile, once again proves it is the only sport where clouds carry tactical value.
Let’s rewind. Earlier, how steady was Australia Women’s innings? Steady. Then shaky. Then scrappy. 49/2 in the Powerplay suggested a solid launchpad. Georgia Voll’s brisk 18 off 10 provided early energy. Phoebe Litchfield’s 26 off 19 was stylish and busy. Ellyse Perry’s 20 off 11 injected momentum with trademark authority. Georgia Wareham’s 30 off 19 added a late punch. But continuity was missing. Partnerships never stretched long enough. Wickets arrived at awkward intervals. The innings kept resetting itself.
Arundhati Reddy. Outstanding spell. 4 overs. 22 runs. 4 wickets. Impactful. Relentless. Game-changing. Renuka Singh complemented her beautifully - 2 wickets, economy just 3.50, constant pressure. Shree Charani’s 2 wickets added further squeeze. Australia slid from 80/5 to 133 all out without a late surge. Dot balls grew. Risks increased. Execution faltered. India’s bowlers controlled phases. Controlled nerves. Controlled the narrative.
In the chase, Shafali Verma attacked early. Fielders pushed back early. Gaps opened. Pressure flipped instantly. Australia’s bowlers searched for control, but India were dictating tempo. Scoreboard ticking. Dugout relaxed. Required rate shrinking faster than a melting ice cube.
India rocketed to 50 inside 5.1 overs at a run rate of 9.67. Shafali Verma’s 21 off 11 balls was pure intent, and Mandhana at the other end was elegance personified. Calm head. Soft hands. Clever placement. Sophie Molineux did find a breakthrough, dismissing Shafali at 33/1. But the momentum? Still wearing blue. Very comfortably.
And then came the rain. Perfect timing for whom? For India Women. Absolutely perfect. The drizzle arrived with India cruising at 50/1. No panic. No drama. Just instant mathematics. DLS par score locked at 29. India were safely ahead. Handshakes followed. Australia left wondering about “what ifs.” India were smiling at “job done.” Cricket, meanwhile, once again proves it is the only sport where clouds carry tactical value.
Let’s rewind. Earlier, how steady was Australia Women’s innings? Steady. Then shaky. Then scrappy. 49/2 in the Powerplay suggested a solid launchpad. Georgia Voll’s brisk 18 off 10 provided early energy. Phoebe Litchfield’s 26 off 19 was stylish and busy. Ellyse Perry’s 20 off 11 injected momentum with trademark authority. Georgia Wareham’s 30 off 19 added a late punch. But continuity was missing. Partnerships never stretched long enough. Wickets arrived at awkward intervals. The innings kept resetting itself.
Arundhati Reddy. Outstanding spell. 4 overs. 22 runs. 4 wickets. Impactful. Relentless. Game-changing. Renuka Singh complemented her beautifully - 2 wickets, economy just 3.50, constant pressure. Shree Charani’s 2 wickets added further squeeze. Australia slid from 80/5 to 133 all out without a late surge. Dot balls grew. Risks increased. Execution faltered. India’s bowlers controlled phases. Controlled nerves. Controlled the narrative.
Player of the Match: Arundhati Reddy
Arundhati Reddy (Player of the Match): (On being aggressive and adapting to conditions) “It’s a good start for us. It’s a good shutdown on a positive note. We wanted to be really aggressive, and we had a plan set coming into this game, and I think we understood and adjusted to the conditions really well.
(On assessing the rain-affected conditions) I think we figured out really early what the right length is on this wicket. Harry Day spoke to us about what we need to do at that point in time. So I think all the bowlers who came in did really well.
(On confidence after the win) Yes, obviously winning the first game will give you a lot of confidence, but we’re not done yet. There’s still a series to win, so we’re looking forward to that.”
(On assessing the rain-affected conditions) I think we figured out really early what the right length is on this wicket. Harry Day spoke to us about what we need to do at that point in time. So I think all the bowlers who came in did really well.
(On confidence after the win) Yes, obviously winning the first game will give you a lot of confidence, but we’re not done yet. There’s still a series to win, so we’re looking forward to that.”
Sophie Molineux (Australia Captain): "(Reflecting on the match) I feel like we're probably just a little bit short at the back. We played how we wanted to play. It was probably just some decisions at different points in time and they got away from us in the powerplay. To be fair, we got away from them in the powerplay as well and as the rain hit.
But yeah, not all doom and gloom. I think that was good cricket in there. Got some time to reflect until we head to Canberra on Thursday.
Yeah, we'll jump on the bus tomorrow and head down. I'm sure we'll do a review at some point. Probably not tomorrow, maybe the next day, and get a train in and yeah, freshen up and be ready to go.
(On enjoying captaincy) Yeah, I'm not yet. But it's probably not the game that you'd pick to play a rain-impacted game. But yeah, I love it. It was an amazing day and yeah, it was absolutely great."
But yeah, not all doom and gloom. I think that was good cricket in there. Got some time to reflect until we head to Canberra on Thursday.
Yeah, we'll jump on the bus tomorrow and head down. I'm sure we'll do a review at some point. Probably not tomorrow, maybe the next day, and get a train in and yeah, freshen up and be ready to go.
(On enjoying captaincy) Yeah, I'm not yet. But it's probably not the game that you'd pick to play a rain-impacted game. But yeah, I love it. It was an amazing day and yeah, it was absolutely great."
Harmanpreet Kaur (India Women Captain): (On the rain-affected victory) “Thank you so much. Definitely, we were ready to have a full match, but unfortunately, it didn’t allow that. But I think at the end of the day, we really all feel great.
(On the bowling performance) Yeah, definitely. I think the other Indian bowlers also bowled really well. They understood the conditions really well. And I think it’s always about hitting the right areas again and again, no matter what the conditions. So I think credit goes to all our bowlers. They really stood up for the team.
(On playing against Australia) Well, I think it’s a great win for us today. But we always want to play good cricket against Australia because we know they are such a great team. And when you do well against such a team, you always feel good. So yeah, it means a lot to us. It’s only about playing good cricket every day when we are playing against them.
(On the next match) Yes, definitely. Now the next match will be even more important for us because we played the first game really well. So the next match is very important. Hopefully, we’ll go with the same mindset.”
(On the bowling performance) Yeah, definitely. I think the other Indian bowlers also bowled really well. They understood the conditions really well. And I think it’s always about hitting the right areas again and again, no matter what the conditions. So I think credit goes to all our bowlers. They really stood up for the team.
(On playing against Australia) Well, I think it’s a great win for us today. But we always want to play good cricket against Australia because we know they are such a great team. And when you do well against such a team, you always feel good. So yeah, it means a lot to us. It’s only about playing good cricket every day when we are playing against them.
(On the next match) Yes, definitely. Now the next match will be even more important for us because we played the first game really well. So the next match is very important. Hopefully, we’ll go with the same mindset.”
India Women were sharp. Australia Women were competitive but inconsistent. Rain was unavoidable. India Women take a 1-0 lead with authority in this 3-match T20I series, even in a shortened affair.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator Darpan Tikiya, scorer Yogesh Kumar, and statistician Aman. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!!
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator Darpan Tikiya, scorer Yogesh Kumar, and statistician Aman. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!!