Georgia Voll slammed a half-century to help Australia level the T20 series against India at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Thursday. The hosts completed a 19-run victory in the second match of the series. India had won the first game.
Georgia Voll’s 88 off 57 balls helped the Australians reach 163 for five in 20 overs. The hosts then restricted the ODI World Champions to 144 for nine. “It’s nice to level the series. It’s obviously been a hard-fought couple of games. I think Soph did a great job tonight. Told us to stick with it and a couple of wickets was always going put more pressure on,” said Voll, who was the Player of the Match.
The series decider will be played in Adelaide on Saturday.
Just as in the first game in Sydney, India won the toss and opted to field. Australia, however, seized early control courtesy of a fluent knock by Voll. She struck 11 fours and a six while anchoring a 128-run opening stand with Beth Mooney, who surpassed Meg Lanning to become Australia’s top scorer in women’s T20Is during her knock.
Voll reached her half-century in 31 balls in the eighth over, and with Beth Mooney’s composed 46 off 39 providing the perfect foil. The pair cruised through the powerplay and raised the team’s hundred in the 12th over.
At 114 for no loss after 13 overs, Australia looked primed for a late surge before India’s bowlers clawed back the contest.
Arundhati Reddy, who registered a career-best bowling figures of 4 for 22 to lead India to victory in the first T20 match of the series in Sydney on Sunday, was once again the pick of the bowlers for the visitors with 2 for 30.
The first breakthrough came in the 15th over when Reddy dismissed Mooney, before the pacer returned in the 17th to end Voll’s resistance. Renuka Singh complemented the effort with a tidy 1/27.
India’s fielders backed up the bowlers with two sharp run-outs, allowing the hosts just 49 runs in the final seven overs while taking five wickets.
“It was a good game. Volly set it up for us and India came hard like we knew they were going to and we held our nerve which is great. We didn’t have to change too much. We learnt from the first game. Really proud how our bowlers held their nerve as well,” said Australia captain Sophie Molineux.
World No. 3 India were on course to chase down the target but lost six wickets for 24 runs in the last four overs to end with 144 for 9. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur top-scored with 36 off 30 while Ashleigh Gardner was the top wicket-taker for Australia and logged the figures of 3 for 22.
India made a brisk start to their chase of 164, with openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana adding 50 runs inside six overs. Shafali (29 off 23 balls) looked in good touch before being trapped LBW by Sophie Molineux in the seventh over. Jemimah Rodrigues lasted only six deliveries before departing for 4.
Mandhana, who had punched her way to 31 off 24, became the third wicket to fall when she nicked behind off Kim Garth, leaving India at 71/3 in the 10th over. Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh rebuild with a 55-run stand as India needed 44 off the final four overs with seven wickets in hand.
However, India lost both of them in the next two overs, which left the lower order to get 34 from 12 balls. It proved a tall task for them as wickets kept tumbling from both ends and despite Kranti Gaud’s strong finish in the final over, India fell short by 19 runs.
“It happens in a chase sometimes, you collapse. While batting we should have taken more responsibility. Keeping them to a decent total was the biggest positive. I think batting we had a few good partnerships. It’s about taking the game deeper and one batter taking responsibility and winning the game for the team,” said India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
Brief scores: Australia Women 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Georgia Voll 88, Beth Mooney 46; Arundhati Reddy 2/30) beat India Women 144 for 9 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 29, Smriti Mandhana 31, Harmanpreet Kaur 36; Ashleigh Gardner 3/22, Kim Garth 2/16, Annabel Sutherland 2/18, Sophie Molineux 2/37).
