The only flaw in India's perfect run-chase was that they lost Smriti Mandhana after she had put on 137 for the first wicket with Shafali Verma. Shafali will be pleased with her performance, especially after losing her place in the ODI side.

It was initially set up by Titas Sadhu, who picked up three wickets in the powerplay to put India on top. Her figures of 4 for 17 are the second-best figures for an Indian bowler against Australia.

Australia did well to recover from 33 for 4 thanks to a superb 79-run stand for the fifth wicket between Phoebe Litchfield (49) and Ellyse Perry (30). However, once Litchfield was dismissed, Australia managed just 29 more runs in 28 deliveries and were bowled out before completing their quota of overs.   

The India openers were gifted 14 extras in the first over by Darcie Brown and from there, they did not let the momentum slip as they put on a clinical performance against a world-class bowling unit.

Safe to say, India outplayed Australia in every department. How often has that been said?

With that India go 1-0 up in the series and will hope to put in a similar performance in the second T20I on Sunday (January 7) at the same venue. 

Do join us then. Till then, it's goodbye.

Not even Australia can get anything out of it here. However, they have dropped a couple of catches, which will disappoint them.

Both Mandhana and Shafali have got to their fifty and don't look to give Australia an inch. Australia look switched off and are already perhaps thinking of the next match.

A record-breaking stand and India inch closer.

Highest opening partnership against AUS-W in WT20Is:

121* - S Mandhana-S Verma (IND) in 2024

120 - H Matthews-S Taylor (WI) in 2016

101 - S Bates-L Doolan (NZ) in 2013

Fifty for Shafali off 32 deliveries, and India brings up their 100th in the 12th over. This has been a top-class effort from the Indian openers, who have not given Australia an inch. They are cruising at the moment and will hope to knock over the runs without losing a wicket.

The equation is easy and straightforward for India. They need just 56 runs more to win in the final 10 overs with all their 10 wickets intact. This has been a commendable effort by their opening batters Mandhana and Shafali, who have not broken a sweat so far. Can Australia claw their way back? Don't count them out just yet.

What an opening partnership this has been. The asking rate is under six and India are well and truly ahead of Australia in this game. Healy has used three bowlers in the powerplay and none of them have been able to get her a breakthrough. Time for the spinners to come in perhaps?

Most 50+ opening partnerships against AUS-W in WT20Is:

S Mandhana-S Verma (IND) - 3 (50s - 2)

S Bates-R Priest (NZ) - 2 (50s - 2)

C Edwards-L Marsh (ENG) - 2 (50s - 2)

S Mandhana-M Raj (IND) - 2 (50s - 2)

Best powerplay scores for IND-W against AUS-W in WT20Is:

70/0 in 2020 (Melbourne JO)

59/0 in 2024 (Navi Mumbai)

59/3 in 2023 (Cape Town)

55/3 in 2021 (Gold Coast)

55/0 in 2022 (Navi Mumbai)

*Non-curtailed matches

A brisk start for India as Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma get into the groove. The fact that 14 runs came off extras in the first over has certainly helped. Australia are in desperate need of a wicket here. This game is slowly slipping away from them.

A horrendous start for Darcie Brown. She concedes a couple of leg-byes that goes to the fence and then follows that up with a no-ball that goes down leg into the fence. India, without getting a single run off the bat, are off to a flier.

What a collapse for Australia. They have lost their last six wickets for just 29 runs in 28 deliveries. Before that though, Phoebe Litchfield (49) and Ellyse Perry (30) put on 79 for the fourth wickets after Australia were reduced to 22 for 4 in the powerplay.

Titas Sadhu was the wrecker-in-chief picking up three in the powerplay and then returned to pick up the wicket of Sutherland to finish with 4 for 17 in her four overs. The beauty of her spell was her relentless consistency.

With Litchfield and Perry going, even 170-180 looked on, but India will be pleased with their effort. Shreyanka and Deepti too chipped in with two wickets apiece.

India upped their fielding standard a notch after being criticised in the ODI series that further helped their cause.

Can India chase it down and go 1-0 up? Chase in just a bit.

India strike again! This time, she gets the wicket of Ellyse Perry, who looks to go downtown. However, Amanjot Kaur comes in just at the right time and takes the catch just in front of the boundary ropes.

Australia were cruising at 112 for 4 at one stage. However, they lost Litchfield and now find themselves in a spot of bother.

Perry c Amanjot b Deepti 37 (30)

Tatas Sadhu has returned to the attack and gets the big wicket of Annabel Sutherland. Harmanpreet Kaur has been busy in that mid-off/mid-on region as she pouches her fourth catch of the night. She follows that up with another full delivery to Georgia Wareham and is trapped in front, but it is overturned by the third umpire.

That would have been her fifth.

Once again, Titas pitches it up and gets the desired result. 

IND-W fielders to take four catches in a WT20I innings:

Veda Krishnamurthy vs AUS-W in 2018

Harmanpreet Kaur vs AUS-W in 2024

Best bowling figures for IND-W in WT20Is vs AUS-W:

Jhulan Goswami - 5/11 in 2012 (Visakhapatnam)

Titas Sadhu - 4/17 in 2024 (Navi Mumbai)

Renuka Singh - 4/18 in 2022 (Birmingham)

Poonam Yadav - 4/19 in 2020 (Sydney)

Can India restrict Australia to under 150? That would be something.

Sutherland c Harmanpreet b Titas 12 (11)

MASSIVE WICKET FOR INDIA! Grace Harris perishes for a single after she is trapped in front by Shreyanka Patil. She misses a reverse sweep and is hit on the pads. The umpire had no hesitation in raising the finger. She reviews, but it's three reds. That could prove to be a difference of about 10-15 runs.

Harris LBW b Shreyanka 1 (2)

GONE! Phoebe Litchfield falls one short of a well-deserved fifty. She is caught at mid-off for 49 off just 32, but India will breathe a sigh of relief. Perry and Litchfield put on 79 off just 52 deliveries. Amanjot Kaur does the trick with a slow delivery to break the partnership.

Bonus stats: In her short W-T20I career, Phoebe Litchfield has scored 32.6% of her runs through pull shots. She has scored those at a staggering strike rate of 522.2 (nine balls, 47 runs, one four and seven sixes).

Litchfield c Harmanpreet b Amanjot 49 (32)

Back-to-back sixes bring up Australia's 100. Two short deliveries from Amanjot Kaur and both of them have been deposited over the deep square-leg fence. This is top-class batting from Litchfield, who has not missed a beat since her excellent ODI series.  

A timely fifty stand between Litchfield and Perry allows Australia to bounce back into the game, getting to the landmark in jut 34 deliveries. Both of them are looking set now and will hope that at least one of the bat through. India were on top after the powerplay, but it has been all Australia since.

The last time Australia-W lost four wickets inside the powerplay (1-6) in W-T20Is was in 2022 in the CWG against India. However, they went on to win that game. 

Adding to that, the last time they lost four or more wickets inside the powerplay in the first innings was in 2016 against New Zealand in Nagpur (10/4).

Titas Sadhu bowled brilliantly in the powerplay. The key for her was to bowl full. All her wickets in the first six overs have come when she has pitched it up.

She finished her first spell with figures of 3 for 3.

INDIA HAVE ANOTHER! That's their third wicket in the powerplay as Tahlia Mcgrath hits it straight into the hands of third-man. Two balls later, she has Ash Gardner as well! What a start for India this is. They will hope to grind Australia in the middle-overs and restrict them to a bare minimum. Titas has three wickets in the powerplay.

McGrath c Pooja b Titas 0 (6)

Gardner c & b Titas 0 (1)

Tahlia McGrath ✅
Ashleigh Gardner ✅@titas_sadhu is making merry & how! 🙌 🙌

Watch those two wickets 🎥 🔽

Follow the Match ▶️ https://t.co/rNWyVNHrmk #TeamIndia | #INDvAUS | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/6OPujdQWfX

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) January 5, 2024

GONE! India get the big fish as Alyssa Healy finds Harmanpreet at mid-off looking to go past her. A superb start for India this as they have picked up the Aussie openers in quick succession. Can they get another in the powerplay?

India have been punished every time they have bowled short, but have succeeded when they have pitched it up just a tad. 

Alyssa Healy vs Renuka Thakur in W-T20Is:

Innings - 9

Runs - 60

Balls - 49

Dismissals - 5

Average - 12

Strike rate - 122.5

Balls/dismissal - 9.8

Only Katherine Brunt (8) has dismissed Healy on more occasions.

Ellyse Perry is in at four.

Healy c Harmanpreet b Renuka 8 (8)

India waste review after Richa Ghosh tries to convince her skipper that Beth Mooney had inside edged it to her. Right after that though, Mooney looks to clear mid-on, but Harmanpreet Kaur takes a good catch running back. Titas gives India its first breakthrough - A timely one as well as the southpaw was looking set.

Tahlia McGrath walks in at three.

Mooney c Harmanpreet b Titas 17 (18)

Short from Pooja Vastrakar and Beth Mooney does not need a second invitation to pull that into the fence. Not a good start for the pacer, who will look to pull a tad fuller.

Alyssa Healy is away. Some movement inwards for Renuka Singh and the batter just clips it to square-leg. It looks like a brilliant pitch to bat on. Should be a lot of runs today. 

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has won the toss and her side will bowl first. India are going in with four pacers and two spinners, Harmanpreet confirms at the toss.

IND XI: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Thakur Singh, Titas Sadhu

Couple of changes for Australia as Alana King and Kim Garth make way for Darcie Brown and Grace Harris

AUS XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Grace Harris, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

Here's India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur talk about how well her team has performed over the last month or so. She reckons they had just one bad game in this period.

💬 💬 "Everyone is excited for the T20I series."#TeamIndia captain @ImHarmanpreet talks about the mood in the camp ahead of the #INDvAUS T20I series opener. @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/zmuOjhH99W

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) January 4, 2024

Hello and welcome to Cricket.com's coverage of the first T20 International (T20I) of India Women and Australia Women at the DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai. India suffered a battering in the One-day International (ODI) series, with the visitors completing a 3-0 whitewash.

Australia have had the wood over India in T20Is, losing just six out of the 31 matches. In fact, India have won just one of their last 10 matches against Australia - which came via a Super Over at the same venue in December 2022.

Can the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side turn things around and get off to the perfect start today? Toss and team news in just a bit.

Till then, here's Gaurav Nandan Tripathi's series preview