India vs Australia: 'Absolute QUEEN', Twitterati in awe of Smriti Mandhana as hosts win big in 2nd T20I

Dec 12, 2022 - 00:30

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India vs Australia: 'Absolute QUEEN', Twitterati in awe of Smriti Mandhana as hosts win big in 2nd T20I

Harmanpreet Kaur-led India outplayed Alyssa Healy’s Australia in a second T20 that went down to the wire at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, with the Women in Blue emerging victorious via a Super Over.

With the win, India women levelled the five-match series 1-1.

Winning the toss and opting to field first, Deepti Sharma got the only wicket of the Aussies, removing Alyssa Healy (25) in the fourth over. Australia were 29/1 at that time, and Beth Mooney (82*) and Tahlia McGrath (70*) added a record 158 runs between them for the second wicket to take Australia to 187/1.

India got off to a strong start in reply, with Smriti Mandhana (79) and Shafali Verma (34) forging 76 runs for the first wicket before the latter departed, and even Jemimah Rodrigues (4) failed to make an impression.

A 61-run stand between Harmanpreet and Mandhana for the third wicket put the hosts right back in the chase, but it was Richa Ghosh (26*) and Devaki Vaidya (11*) that took India to 187/5 from 20 overs.

Super Over followed. India batted first, and Mandhana played a major role, hitting a four and a six to take India to 20/1.

Australia started off with a four from Alyssa Healy, but the wicket of Gardener and conceding just a run off McGrath meant the ball was in India’s court. Australia needed 15 runs off two balls, and Healy hit a four and then a six off the last two balls, but that was not enough for the Aussies.

This was Australia’s first loss in women’s T20Is.

Here’s how Twitterati reacted to that epic finale: