Jemimah Rodrigues reacts after winning in the ICC Women's World Cup semifinal ODI(L), Indian players celebrate after the match.
Credit: PTI Photos
Navi Mumbai: ‘Will to win’ has been the slogan of this 13th ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. India were determined to make their home World Cup campaign a memorable one.
Even though they lacked in execution while bowling against the dominating Australia in Thursday’s semifinal, local girl Jemimah Rodrigues stayed till the end, batting for nearly the entire innings to seal India their third World Cup final entry.
Rodrigues played one of the most remarkable innings in a run-chase that will put her high in the pedestal of all-time great knocks in Women’s ODI history.
Having to bat second at the DY Patil Stadium batting beauty, India put up a record successful chase in women’s ODIs. The defending champions Australia amassed 338, courtesy opener Phoebe Litchfield’s punishing century and contrasting fifties by Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner. India replied with 341/5 in 48.3 overs.
If in their previous clash in the league stage, Australia posted a Women’s ODI world record successful chase of 331, India gave it back to them in a fitting manner and on a bigger platform to book their third WC final.
Despite the loss of Shafali Verma for 10 and India’s highest run-getter Smriti Mandhana for 24 inside Power Play, courtesy a smart catch off a faint edge down the leg side by Alyssa Healy standing up to medium-pacer Kim Garth, India were always in the hunt.
India fought bravely through No. 3 Jemimah Rodrigues’ maiden World Cup hundred, a painstaking 127 not out (134b, 14x4) and Harmanpreet Kaur’s fighting 89 (88b, 10x4, 2x6). Through their 167-run third-wicket stand, the asking rate was manageable. India were close on the heels of Australia at every stage. And in the back end, India were well ahead of Australia, courtesy Richa Ghosh’s six-hitting abilities (26, 16b, 2x4, 2x6).
Luck smiled on Rodrigues and her prayers were answered. On 82, her top-edge sweep off leg-spinner Alana King was dropped by Healy in front of the wicket. India at that stage needed 132 in 105 deliveries with eight wickets in hand.
After Rodrigues reached her third WODI century, her prayers seemed to be answered as she was dropped a sitter by Kim Garth on 106 at mid-off.
There was no stopping India, who reached the final with Amanjot’s cut off left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux for four, India winning by five wickets with nine deliveries to spare, much to the celebration of 34,651 spectators in the stands and millions nation-wide.
It was India who stopped Australia in the 2017 World Cup final. History repeated itself on Thursday here.
The batting star for Australia was their left-handed opener Litchfield, whose love affair with India, and Mumbai in particular, continued. In three WODIs in Mumbai, though at the Wankhede, she scored two fifties and a hundred in 2023. Against India, she averaged 63.5 in eight innings with one hundred and four half-centuries before Thursday’s knock.
The 22-year-old Litchfield swelled the average to 69.67 after her third WODI hundred (119, 93b, 17x4, 3x6). She became the fourth Australian to score their sixth hundred in this edition out of the 13 individual hundreds.
Choosing to bat, and rightly so, Australia were helped along by some erratic bowling by new-ball operator Kranti Gaud, who conceded nine fours in her opening spell of five overs conceding 49 runs. Though she dismissed Healy, bowled off an inside edge for five shortly after the rival captain was dropped on two by Harmanpreet at mid-off off Renuka Thakur, Gaud erred in length and bowled short and full often.
Litchfield dominated the 155-run second-wicket partnership with Ellyse Perry (77, 88b, 6x4, 2x6).
When the second-wicket duo was toying with the Indian attack, more so by Litchfield, Harmanpreet ran out of ideas.
Throughout the Aussie innings, Kaur had given one-over spells (12 occasions) with the idea of not letting the women in gold and green to settle down.
SCOREBOARD
AUSTRALIA: Alyssa Healy b Gaud 5, Phoebe Litchfield b A Kaur 119, E Perry b Yadav 77, B Mooney c Rodrigues b Charani 24, A Sutherland c & b Charani 3, A Gardner (run out) 63, T McGrath (run out) 12, K Garth (run out) 17, A King c Ghosh b Sharma 4, S Molineux b Sharma 0, M Schutt (not out) 1
Extras (lb 2, w-11) 13
Total (all out, 49.5 overs) 338
Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Healy), 2-180 (Litchfield), 3-220 (Mooney), 4-228 (Sutherland), 5-243 (Perry), 6-265 (McGrath), 7-331 (Gardner), 8-336 (King), 9-336 (Molineux).
Bowling: R Thakur 8-0-39-0, K Gaud 6-0-58-1, S Charani 10-0-49-2, D Sharma 9.5-0-73-2, A Kaur 8-0-51-1, R Yadav 8-0-66-1.
INDIA (target 339):
S Verma lbw b Garth 10, S Mandhana c Healy b Garth 24, J Rodrigues (not out) 127, H Kaur c Gardner b Sutherland 89, D Sharma (run out) 24, R Ghosh c Garth b Sutherland 26, A Kaur (not out) 15
Extras (B-4, LB-6, W-15, NB-1) 26
Total (for 5 wickets, 48.3 overs) 341
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Verma), 2-59 (Mandhana), 3-226 (H Kaur), 4-264 (Sharma), 5-310 (Ghosh).
Bowling: M Schutt 6-0-40-0, K Garth 7-0-46-2, A Gardner 8-0-55-0, S Molineux 6.3-0-44-0, A Sutherland 10-0-69-2, A King 9-0-58-0, T McGrath 2-0-19-0