India and Australia - The road to the grand finale

Australia celebrating a nerve-wrenching semi-final victory ©Getty

India and Australia - The road to the grand finale

India

Beat Australia by 17 runs

There's starting a World Cup well, and then there's starting it with a victory over hosts and tournament favourites. After some Shafali Verma madness (29 off 15) at the start consolidated by Deepti Sharma's method (49 off 46) through the middle, it was Poonam Yadav's infuriatingly slow leg-break that ended Australia's fight. Poonam befuddled some of the best in the business - Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry among her spoils - with balls delivered at as low as 35 mph, derailing Australia's chase in some style.

Beat Bangladesh by 18 runs

Bangladesh put India in to bat in Perth and learned - the hard way - what the recent fuss surrounding Shafali Verma was all about. She went a step further, smashing 39 off 17. Jemimah Rodrigues played the yang to Shafali's yin, bringing stability to the table with 34 off 37 before Veda Krishnamurthy gave India a much-needed nudge with a cameo. Despite the best efforts of Murshida Khatun and Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh couldn't work their way around another devastating spell from Poonam Yadav (3 for 18 in 4 overs).

Beat New Zealand by 3 runs

With semi-final qualification in sight, the Shafali juggernaut rolled on in rather emphatic fashion, but the rest of India's batters flattered to deceive on the day. The opener's 34-ball 46 was the best contribution to India's modest 133, but the bowling pack ensured the streak continued. Albeit only just.

They had to overcome a real scare from Amelia Kerr, who threw the kitchen sink at Poonam Yadav in a quest to chase down 34 off the last 12 deliveries. 18 off those 34 were pocketed off Poonam, but Shikha Pandey just about held her nerve to deny New Zealand a famous World Cup win.

Beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets

India's left-arm spin duo Radha Yadav (4 for 23) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2 for 18) proved to be too hot to handle for Sri Lanka, even as captain Chamari Athapaththu fought on with a 24-ball 33. The next best score - 25* off 16 - came from the No. 9 batter Kavisha Dilhari as Sri Lanka limped to 113 for 9. With another rollicking start, Shafali ensured the result in India's favour was a matter of when, not if. India coasted to their fourth victory on the bounce to finish unbeaten, and on top of the Group A points table.

Semifinal: No result due to rain

Showers in Sydney handed a rude exit to England, whose defeat to South Africa ended up costing them a fair shot at making the final. Rains just didn't relent, even for a truncated fixture, allowing India to advance on the basis of faring better in the group stages. ICC drew flak for the absence of a reserve day for the knockout clash, but England had to take it on the chin considering they and every other participating nation signed off on the playing conditions at the start.

The Indian women's cricket team will be aiming for much-needed consistency when it opens its bid for an elusive ICC trophy with the T20 World Cup opener against defending champions Australia. AFP file photo

Australia

Lost to India by 17 runs

Australia were jolted very early in the tournament when they were rattled by Poonam Yadav in the tournament opener despite being billed as the firm favourites to clinch the trophy. India had crawled their way to 132/4 in their quota of 20 overs and while many people expected the run chase to be straightforward for the Australians, Poonam had other ideas. From 55 for 1, Australia were bowled out for just 115, losing their last nine wickets for just 60 runs.

Beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets

After the setback against India, Australia were on the verge of nearing elimination when they were reeling at 10/3 in a run chase of 123. But Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes ensured their campaign didn't derail as they added 95 runs for the fourth wicket. Australia eventually won the contest by five wickets with just three balls remaining in the chase. In the context of the tournament, this result was massive for the hosts.

Beat Bangladesh by 86 runs

Australia's campaign was back on track following this result. They were at their ruthless best and absolutely hammered Bangladesh by a massive margin of 86 runs. Openers Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney set up the win with a 151-run opening partnership before Megan Schutt ran through the Bangladesh top-order. The Asian side managed only 103 on the board in a run-chase of 190.

Beat New Zealand by 4 runs

In another must-win encounter which was also virtually a quarterfinal, Australia edged past their Trans-Tasman rivals by 4 runs to book their place in the final four after a lot of hiccups. Beth Mooney held fort with a half-century and Rachel Haynes chipped in with a vital cameo at the death. Georgia Wareham and Megan Schutt ensured New Zealand were never in the fray as Katey Martin's late charge wasn't enough.

Semifinal: Beat South Africa by 5 runs (DLS)

Laura Wolvaardt tried but she didn't find enough support at the other end to knock Australia out of the tournament. Rain played its role once again in a South African heartbreak as Australia reached their sixth final in seven editions. Lanning's 49 helped Australia put on 134 and as a result of the rain, South Africa were asked to chase down 98 in 13 overs. Wolvaardt made an unbeaten 41 but the Australian bowlers did enough to eke out a five-run win and set up a mouth-watering final against India.

Source: cricbuzz.com