Australian and Indian women's cricket teams / X/@ICC

A gallant unbeaten half-century by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, her second in two matches, was not enough to secure India a direct place in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

It was a big heartbreak not only for Harmanpreet, who put up a single-handed effort to bring down the Aussies, but also for the entire team as Shafali Varma, Jemiah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma did what was expected of them. A little more application on the part of Indian batters could have scripted history. But it was not to be. Harmanpreet was stranded at the non-strikers’ end as the last five balls of the final over saw India losing a couple of wickets with the addition of only four runs.

Though Australia, the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far, has qualified for the semi-finals with a nine-run win over India in Sharjah, Pakistan now holds the key to getting its arch-rival and neighbour to cruise into the last four rounds of the prestigious event.

Indian players, after losing a tight battle to Australia, must be in prayer mode to wish Pakistan score a win over New Zealand in its last league encounter. In case, Pakistan comes up to expectations and Indian prayers, Harmanpreet Kaur would be leading her team in the penultimate round.

It was India’s second defeat in four games, putting it in a precarious number two position with four points, while New Zealand, too, has four points but a game against Pakistan in hand.

Grace Harris’ anchoring 40 gave Australia a strong platform before Sophie Molineux and Annabel Sutherland took two wickets apiece, guaranteeing their place in a ninth-straight semi-final.

A thrilling finish to the #INDvAUS contest ensures that three Group A sides remain in contention for a Women's #T20WorldCup semi-final spot.

Standings https://t.co/zNiSIgIa3z#WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/1B04jonIqi

— ICC (@ICC) October 13, 2024

Having chosen to bat, Australia began with Beth Mooney alongside Harris as captain Alyssa Healy could not play due to a foot injury. The match burst into life in the third over when Thakur consecutively dismissed Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham.

Radha Yadav caught Mooney at point while Wareham was out LBW for a golden duck, though Hawk-Eye showed the ball was missing leg stump if Australia had taken the review.

Harris steadied the ship alongside stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath to guide the Aussies to 37 for two at the end of the powerplay before the pair accelerated with a flurry of fours to reach 65 for two halfway through their innings.

India started to create chances, including a catching opportunity for Pooja Vastrakar which fell short before captain Harmanpreet Kaur dropped a straightforward chance to dismiss McGrath.

However, the drop proved insignificant after Yadav dismissed the stand-in captain two balls later for 32. She was stumped by Richa Ghosh to end the 62-run partnership.

Harris tried to counterattack, but Deepti Sharma had her caught at short midwicket for 40 and Ashleigh Gardner was dismissed by Vastrakar in the next over for six after skying the ball to Yadav to leave Australia 101 for five with five overs left.

Perry fought back for the defending champions alongside Phoebe Litchfield as the duo hit three consecutive boundaries.

The all-rounder's quickfire 32 was ended when she was caught at square leg off Sharma, but Australia powered their way to 151 even as they lost late wickets.

The game of the tournament so far

Here’s how Australia beat India in a thriller ️#INDvAUS #T20WorldCup #WhateverItTakeshttps://t.co/5Q6mIfRBmJ

— ICC (@ICC) October 13, 2024

Shafali Verma got India off to a fast start in its reply but found Annabel Sutherland at long on off Gardner’s bowling as she fell for 20. Molineux dismissed Smriti Mandhana LBW after a review, leaving India 41 for two at the end of the powerplay.

Megan Schutt continued to stall India’s momentum when she had Jemimah Rodrigues caught in the deep for 16 in the seventh over as Molineux and Sutherland starved India of boundaries, restricting them to 67 for three after ten overs.

Kaur was handed a reprieve in the 12th over when Darcie Brown put down a tricky chance, but she and Sharma struggled to accelerate as the required rate reached double figures.

India needed 53 runs off the final five overs and scored three boundaries off the 16th over to make the final exchanges nervy.

However, Sharma was caught on the rope for 29 before Ghosh was run out after Litchfield’s direct hit to see Australia return to the ascendancy.

Kaur and Vastrakar rallied with boundaries to leave India needing 14 off the final over, but four wickets and denying Kaur the strike saw Australia claim a strong win.

Australia 151/8 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 40, Tahlia McGrath 32, Ellyse Perry 32; Renuka Singh Thakur 2/24, Deepti Sharma 2/28)

India 142/9 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54 not out, Deepti Sharma 29; Annabel Sutherland 2/22, Sophie Molineux 2/32)