MATCH REPORT
Follow UsThe three T20s of the Indian A women's tour of Australia are done. As expected before the series, the more experienced Australia A side dominated the visitors in all three facets of the game. However, it’s the manner in which they dominated that would hurt India A.
After losing two games on the trot, it would have made much more sense for the India A side to allow batters like Kiran Navgire and Minnu Mani to show their true value. Instead, in the third T20, India persisted with Tanuja Kanwar at number four, giving Sajana more opportunities at number five in the batting order.
The result wasn’t very different from the second T20, where India A could score only 130/9. In fact, this time, the score was ten runs fewer at the end of the 20 overs.
Shubha Satheesh, playing her first game of the tour, had a disastrous start with a second-ball duck. She was cleaned up by pacer Tayla Vlaemnick, who returned to the side for the last T20. Priya Punia failed to impress and used up 18 deliveries for her 11. Even Shweta Sehrawat, who is generally an aggressive batter, consumed 28 deliveries to score only 15 runs.
The top order summed up India’s plight with the bat. But what followed was even more painful for the fans as Kanwar and Sajana departed cheaply, having used up 29 deliveries combined to account for only 17 runs.
If not for Navgire, who yet again showed her exceptional hitting value and scored a quick 38 off 20 deliveries, India would not have even reached 120. She batted till 19.4 overs and hit six fours and a six. If there’s one positive that the Indian camp can take home from this series, it has to be Navgire. Credit should also go to her partnership with Minnu Mani, as both started to bat from 47/5 and took India past the three-figure mark.
Leg spinner Grace Parsons yet again bowled brilliantly and picked up two wickets for 18 runs in her four overs. Medium-pacer Maitlan Brown also troubled the Indian batters in just her two overs, returning with figures of 2/19. The seething pace of Vlaemnick visibly troubled the batters a lot. She gave only six runs in her four overs and picked up Satheesh's wicket.
Tahlia Wilson gave a brilliant start yet again to the Aussies in the chase. She struck five boundaries and a six before left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap put a halt to her innings. Shabnam Shakil bowled well to get Katie Mack caught by Kanwar at just 10. However, Tahlia McGrath scored an unbeaten 51* off just 22 to take the team home. She especially targeted pacers Meghna Singh and Kanwar.
Skipper Minnu bowled well after batting decently and picked up Charli Knott’s wicket. But that was not enough, as Australia cruised home with 37 deliveries left and seven wickets in hand.
India A came looking for answers on the depth of their bench and squad composition for the T20 World Cup on the Australian shores. But as of now, the 3-0 defeat in T20s has rather added more questions and trepidations.
The first 50-over game will be played on August 14 in Mackay, with the remaining two at the same venue on August 16 and 18.
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