LONDON: Ellyse Perry oozed class and Ashleigh Gardner packed plenty of power as Australia registered a comfortable six-wicket victory over India to knock them out of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup on Sunday and book a place in the semifinals.
The defeat could also signal the end of Harmanpreet Kaur's tenure as India's T20 captain.
Perry (56 off 38 balls) and Gardner (53 not out off 29) stitched together a decisive 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket as the six-time champions chased down 171 in 19 overs.
Australia topped Group 1 with a perfect record of five wins from five matches and 10 points. India finished third with six points, while South Africa advanced to the semifinals with eight points after defeating Bangladesh earlier in the day.
Australia were under pressure at 68 for three in the ninth over after India's bowlers removed openers Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll, along with veteran Beth Mooney.
Voll departed in the opening over, unable to handle a Renuka Singh delivery that jagged back sharply.
However, Perry and Gardner then seized control, combining experience and composure to dismantle the Indian attack.
Gardner took the aggressive route, clearing the ropes against Sree Charani and Shafali Verma, while Perry relied on timing and placement.
The veteran all-rounder repeatedly found gaps with pulls and cuts against Charani, Shafali and Deepti Sharma, striking eight boundaries in her innings.
Perry brought up her fifty in 33 balls, while Gardner reached the milestone four deliveries quicker.
Although Perry eventually fell to Charani, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, Australia were already cruising towards victory.
Earlier, Harmanpreet's explosive 56 off 27 balls lifted India to 170 for four, but the rest of the batting line-up struggled to accelerate consistently, reflecting a recurring issue throughout the tournament.
Openers Smriti Mandhana (38) and Shafali Verma (34) provided a steady start with a 66-run stand, though India appeared more focused on preserving wickets than maximising scoring opportunities.
Shafali struck two sixes off Gardner, while Mandhana found successive boundaries against Kim Garth, helping India reach 43 without loss at the end of the powerplay.
However, India failed to build significant momentum.
Attempting to shift gears, Shafali lost her balance while trying to cut Sophie Molineux and saw the ball crash into her stumps.
Mandhana followed soon after, run out following a mix-up with Jemimah Rodrigues (34 off 28), with Georgia Wareham producing an accurate throw to bowler Lucy Hamilton.
Rodrigues began positively with a boundary off Molineux but struggled to maintain the tempo. She was dropped twice late in her innings and was retired out before the final over to allow power-hitter Richa Ghosh an opportunity, though Ghosh faced just one ball.
Harmanpreet, however, looked in sublime touch. She targeted the slower bowling of Wareham and Molineux and reached her fifty in just 26 balls.
The skipper capped her innings in style by smashing three consecutive sixes off Molineux in the final over, which yielded 23 runs and carried India to 170 for four.
The total, however, proved insufficient against a clinical Australian side that once again underlined its status as the tournament favourite.