Commonwealth Games 2022: Another heartbreak for India Women as Australia Women clinch gold with 9-run win

India Women crumbled from 118 for two to 152 all out against Australia Women to miss out on gold in the Commonwealth Games 2022 cricket competition. Chasing 162 for victory in the final in Birmingham on Sunday (August 7), India Women lost eight wickets for 34 runs in a stark reminder of their meltdown against England Women in the 2017 World Cup final.

India Women skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (65 off 43) and Jemimah Rodrigues (33 off 33) added 96 for the third wicket to put the chasing side on top. However, once the partnership was broken, India Women lost their way as the bowling side kept building pressure on them.

A massive moment in the game arrived in the 15th over of the chase when Megan Schutt castled Rodrigues. In the next over, Ashleigh Gardner (3/16) took out Harmanpreet and Pooja Vastrakar (one). The latter was the first to go as she holed out to deep midwicket. Off the very next delivery, Harmanpreet’s attempted scoop went horribly wrong as the ball hit her helmet and lobbed up for an easy catch.

Sneh Rana (eight) and Radha Yadav (one) were run out in quick succession as India Women choked under pressure once again. Deepti Sharma was then trapped lbw for 13 by Schutt.

It came down to 11 runs required off the last over with two wickets in hand. Meghna Singh was run out for one before Yastika Bhatia (two), who replaced Taniya Bhatia as a concussion substitute, was trapped lbw by Jess Jonassen. The nine-run loss meant it was yet another case of so near yet so far for India Women.

India Women got off to a poor start as Shafali Verma (11) and Smriti Mandhana (six) were back in the hut with only 22 runs on the board. However, Harmanpreet and Rodrigues brought their team right back into the contest before they completely disintegrated.

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Beth Mooney slams 61 as Australia Women post 161 for 8 against India Women

Batting first after winning the toss, Australia Women put up a competitive 161 for eight in their 20 overs. Opener Beth Mooney top-scored with 61 off 41 while skipper Meg Lanning (36) and Gardner (25 off 15) chipped in with handy knocks.

Australia Women were 83 for one at the halfway stage of their innings, but India Women fought back brilliantly, conceding only 78 runs in the second half. Renuka Singh (2/25) and Sneh Rana (2/38) picked up key wickets while Radha Yadav (1/24) and Deepti Sharma (1/30) were economical.

Singh struck early for India Women, trapping Alyssa Healy lbw for seven. Mooney and Lanning then added 74 for the second wicket to put the batting side on top. While the duo kept finding boundaries at regular intervals, they combined to hammer India Women captain skipper Harmanpreet for four fours in the 10th over. Mooney clubbed a boundary through midwicket while Lanning crunched three consecutive fours.

A smart piece of fielding by Yadav ended the dangerous stand. Mooney pushed a floated delivery back to the bowler, who back-flicked the ball onto the stumps and caught Lanning short at the non-striker’s end. Tahlia McGrath, who was allowed to play in the final despite testing positive for COVID-19 (ICC approved her participation), was back in the hut for two, brilliantly caught by Yadav off Sharma’s bowling.

Gardner struck a few crucial blows before being stumped off Rana. Mooney’s excellent knock ended when Sharma backtracked from mid-on and stuck out her right arm to take a fine catch off Rana’s bowling.

Rachael Haynes (18* off 10) played a crucial cameo to help Australia Women cross the 160-run mark. In hindsight, it was a match-defining effort.