CHENNAI: It took them ten years, but India women have done it again. With the 17-run win in the third T20I on Saturday, the Women in Blue have beaten Australia in a T20I series for the first time since 2016. In the larger scheme of things, the series is yet to be won as it is played in a multi-format set up with cumulative points after three ODIs and a day-night Test will determine the final winner.
However, India winning the T20I leg of the series Down Under comes as a major boost in the lead up to the T20 World Cup later this year. And this win was orchestrated by Smriti Mandhana's fluent 82 and Shreyanka Patil's riveting spell of 3/22.
Batting first, India got off to a steady start thanks to Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues (59) as they added 121 runs for the second wicket. Such was the platform set by them in the first 15 overs, India looked good to push past the 180-run mark. However, they lost a cluster of wickets in the death finishing with 176/6.
The total, however, was more than enough as Patil struck twice with the new ball. The off-spinning all-rounder, who was on a comeback, castled Ellyse Perry after dismissing Georgia Voll early. Asheligh Gardner (57) tried to take the chase deep but India kept pegging away with wickets, with valuable contributions from NR Sree Charani (3/32) and Arundhati Reddy (2/35).
"It's good to contribute to a series win. Beating Australia in Australia is something really special and really happy for the team. It was a really good to have a partnership with Jemi. When she came in and got those three quick boundaries that settled me down," Mandhana said after the match.
As India take a substantial 2-1 lead in the series, what augurs well for them is that Mandhana, Rodrigues have hit form before the ODIs and Test come along. The other added advantage of playing in Australia is the true nature of the surfaces which to an extent will be on offer in England during the T20 World Cup later this year.
In saying that, India still have some issues to figure out, especially with regards to their T20I batting line-up.
It might be in the best interest of the team to go into the WC with Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy and Deepti Sharma in their lower middle-order. Though Reddy is a capable batter and the other two are genuine all-rounders, they need time to settle in before accelerating which may not always be on offer in the shortest format. It is something the team management have to figure because batting depth will be key in the T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, India will take on Australia in the first of the three ODIs in Brisbane on Tuesday.
Brief scores: India 176/6 in 20 ovs (Mandhana 82, Rodrigues 59; Sutherland 2/34) bt Australia 159/9 in 20 ovs (Gardner 57; Sree Charani 3/32, Patil 3/22, Reddy 2/35)