Australia ended India’s Women’s T20 World Cup tour with a convincing six-wicket win on Sunday, raising questions over Harmanpreet Kaur’s future as India’s T20 captain. Chasing 171 runs in 19 overs, the six-time champions completed the target thanks to a 100-run partnership from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner.India put pressure on Australia early in the contest, reducing Australia to 68/3 after dismissing Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wall and Beth Mooney cheaply. However, the experienced Perry (56 off 38 balls) and the hard-hitting Gardner (53 not out off 29 balls) turned the game around with clinical batting performances.Perry relied on timing and positioning to hit eight boundaries in the innings, while Gardner attacked the Indian spinners with powerful knocks. When Perry was sent off, Australia took firm control of the game and eventually secured a spot in the semi-finals with a perfect record in Group One.Earlier, India had scored 170/4, a total that looked competitive only for captain Harmanpreet Kaur to blast 56 off just 27 balls. The opening partnership of Smriti Mandhana (38) and Shafali Verma (34) gave India a solid start with a 66-run partnership, but the scoring rate was still lower than expected.Shafali was ejected while trying to speed up, while Mandana ran out after a mix-up with Jemima Rodriguez. Jemima scored 34 points from 28 balls but struggled to maintain the momentum and eventually retired before the final.Harmanpreet changed the momentum at the end of the innings, knocking three consecutive sixes off Australia captain Sophie Molyneux in the final over, helping India score 23 runs off the last six balls. However, the partnership of Perry and Gardner proved too strong, with Australia sealing victory and South Africa advancing to the semi-finals.
