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So that'll be all from another thrilling contest at the Brabourne Stadium. This has been quite a fun series and we expect another cracker on Tuesday. Do join us for our coverage of that contest while also keeping yourselves up to date with all the other cricketing news and action from around the globe here on Sportskeeda. Thank you so much for tuning in today - this is the duo of Pradeep Somashekar and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Wishing you a great Sunday tomorrow - good night and see you around soon!
She did a pretty good job of rotating her bowlers around despite being thrown into the deep end there did Tahlia McGrath. Not for no reason has she looked at ease as skipper in the Women's Big Bash League either, having led the Adelaide Strikers to glory not too long ago. With Australia wrapping up the series, they can afford to rest Alyssa Healy for the last game without risking her and one could expect the same for the final T20I at this very venue on Tuesday. As for India, they will want to salvage some pride. They've competed really well all series but with a T20 World Cup coming up in a couple of months' time, they would want to fine-tune their preparations and of course, pocket a win against the best in the business to boost their confidence.
Tahlia McGrath (stand-in Australian captain): Thrown into it (captaincy) at the very last minute. Couldn't be more proud of the team and glad to wrap up the series with a game to play. I had some great support. I had Pez, Moons and Ash helping me around. India came really hard at us. New wicket, played reasonably similar. Little bit in it earlier for the quicks and a bit of turn later on. But a tight game. (News on Alyssa Healy) Calf strain - she's in the hands of the medical team. She's in good hands, let's see how she goes.
Ashleigh Gardner is the Player of the Match for her stellar all-round display. Here's what she has to say: It was (a good wicket). Every single pitch we've played on here in India has been fantastic. Sometimes it's hard to be a bowler but that's why it's best to be an all-rounder. As soon as you float it up a little bit fuller it's easier to hit down the ground. I learnt from my mistakes and changed my pace around. It's about being able to mix up your lengths. But at the same time I also had a change-up to go full at the stumps. T20 cricket is quite batter friendly. Everyone assumes when you come to India that pitches are going to turn. But in this format we don't think of the wicket too much.
Harmanpreet Kaur (India captain): (On the change of strategy) Definitely happens, we were in the game throughout, just one over here and there, the result would've been different. If I was there, things would've been different, when I got out but Richa was still there, she was still the strength, it was the 18th over, we just got three runs and was a major difference. I think all the young girls, got the opportunity to play against the aussies, we can only get better from here, we won the lot of areas today but we just didn't;'t couldn;'t finish well today, the first 10 overs brilliant. I got inured in the Asia cup, coming back and just wanted to bat, when I feel 100% I'll come on to bowl as well.
Ellyse Perry: I think, game's continuing to evolve and grow, you got to go with it which is really good. I'm really enjoying to bat with the group, Grace was outstanding tonight, so was Ash Gardner, blimps along the way with the calf injury to Healy. I honestly hadn't heard, it'll be disappointing if I had been interested in that kind of a conversation, to me sports has always been a great joy, certainly love the challenge, try to keep getting better, it's been nice to have played the way I have, contribute in anyway possible. Been right here, nothing's changed, different roles within different teams, just keep growing, coming along leaps and bounds, this tour has been sensational, atmosphere here is brilliant and crowd has been magnificent, it's so exciting for the future of women's cricket, WIPL going to be outstanding, so nice to be part of it. (About WIPL) Tremendously excited, next frontier for the women's game, WBBL, what it's done to women's game in Australia and the Hundred in the UK, now we're talking about WIPL, in what is spiritually the home of cricket, massive amount of support and interest in the sport and some wonderful superstars in the Indian game, to showcase that talent in a women's IPL is amazing.
Match summary: Australia beat India by 7 runs and take the series 3-1 with a game to spare.
Another case of so close, yet so far against the indomitable Australians. India fought hard yet again but those rookie lapses with the ball and later with regards to the running between the wickets have pulled them down. And against an Australian team that just knows how to convert even the slightest of opportunities into a big one, it's something that they can ill-afford. But it has come apart again for the hosts as they surrender the series.
Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner ransacked runs for fun to power Australia to a big score but India started off in grand fashion thanks to Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. India's worst fears came true when Mandhana was prized out by Gardner getting one to spin and bounce just enough. Tahlia McGrath, deputizing for the injured Alyssa Healy, rotated her bowlers around brilliantly and with regular wickets, the visitors were always in front and upped the asking rate.
A counter-attack was needed and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur took matters into her own hands. Devika Vaidya may not have the power, but she has the smarts and she showcased the same to pick out the fence. Harmanpreet too, used her smarts to brilliant effect, using the pace on the ball whenever possible and toying around with the field. With the asking rate still rising steadily, her wicket signaled doom for the hosts.
Richa Ghosh had other ideas though. The way she came out firing on all cylinders raised the question of why she wasn't spiked up the order again. Gardner returned to remove Vaidya and with 38 needed off the last two overs, it seemed a lost cause for the Women in Blue.
A couple of blistering hits from Richa kept them afloat, although the inability to convert a couple of singles into twos played a role in India eventually falling short as Megan Schutt was at her absolute best in the final over. Deepti Sharma tried her bit as well, but eventually, it wasn't to be for the hosts. Stick around for the presentation...
Cometh the hour, cometh the veteran! Megan Schutt has held her nerve like she has on so many occasions in times gone by. And you always back on that experience to deliver the goods. What a contest (again)! Australia prevail by 7 runs to take an unassailable 3-1 series lead!
20
overs
181/5score
4
1
1
4
1
1
runs
Richa Ghosh*
40(19)
Deepti Sharma
12(8)
Megan Schutt
0/44
19.6 Megan Schutt to Richa Ghosh, AUSTRALIA WIN AND TAKE THE SERIES, 3-1! Length delivery on the fourth stump, Richa smacked it down to long-off for just one. Australia finish another comprehensive win as India fall short but spare a thought for Richa Ghosh to keep the hopes alive in the end.
Perfect delivery from Schutt. A sullen look on Harmanpreet's face. It's coming to a heartbreaking end here!
19.5 Megan Schutt to Deepti Sharma, full delivery, angled into Deepti, she could only whip it down to long-on for a single. Schutt just need to land a legal ball here to get the job done.
They're fighting. The Indians are still fighting. 10 needed off the last 2 deliveries!
19.4 Megan Schutt to Deepti Sharma, FOUR MORE! Back of a length on the middle and off, Deepti hoicks it over the mid-wicket, sweeper can't cut it off, another boundary for Deepti.
This is Schutt at her absolute best. It's all down to Deepti now as Schutt comes around the wicket.
19.3 Megan Schutt to Richa Ghosh, searching for the yorker, low full toss, angled into Richa to cramp her up, smacks it down to long-off for only a single.
Long on, long off, deep mid-wicket and deep square leg in place. Packed off-side ring as well.
Two sixes. India simply need two sixes. 15 required off 4 deliveries...
19.2 Megan Schutt to Deepti Sharma, OH! Length delivery on the middle and off, Deepti smashes it over the top of Richa, she ducks under it but long-on is very square and get just a single. Richa is back on strike!
Just the start India needed again! 16 needed off 5 deliveries now!