Australia Women defeat India by 54 runs in 5th T20I

Australia wins the series 4-1 after the 54-run win over India in the fifth and final T20I in Mumbai

Australian players celebrate with trophy after their victory against India during the T20 International series between India and Australia, at Cricket Club of India (CCI) Stadium in Mumbai, on December 20, 2022 | Photo Credit: PTI

It was carnage.

Grace Harris (64 not out, 35b, 6x4, 4x6) and Ashleigh Gardner (66 not out, 32b, 11x4, 1x6) ruthlessly destroyed the Indian bowling attack to set up a 54-run win for Australia in the final T20I at the Brabourne Stadium here on Tuesday. The Aussies won the series 4-1.

It was an astonishing display of brutal hitting that one wouldn’t often witness in women’s cricket. After Harris and Gardner’s pyrotechnics piloted Australia to 196 for four, India, which lost Smriti Mandhana to the fourth ball, never really threatened to chase down that score. Only Deepti Sharma went past 25 and was the last to get out (53, 34b, 8x4, 1x6). Seamer Heather Graham took four for eight, including a hat-trick, as India was bowled out for 142 off the final ball.

Earlier, many of Harris’ sixes cleared the ropes by some distance — like the one she smashed over deep midwicket off a full toss, from outside the off-stump, by Renuka Singh. And this was from a bowler who had bowled a maiden earlier on. It was as if Harris and Gardner had turned the Indian bowlers from being a little dominant to absolutely clueless in the blink of an eye.

Australia could make only 42 for two in the PowerPlay. Beth Mooney played on to Anjali Sarvani, the left-arm seamer who has made an impression in her debut series and that too on batting beauties.

Phoebe Litchfield, who stylishly straight drove the second ball she faced in international cricket, was stumped by Richa Ghosh off the clever Deepti. Tahlia McGrath, captaining the side in the absence of the injured Alyssa Healy, fell in similar fashion to another off-spinner — Shafali Verma.

When the in-form Ellyse Perry holed out to long-on off Devika Vaidya, Australia slid to 67 for four and just 10.2 overs remained at that stage. But that was more than what Harris and Gardner needed to bat the hosts out of the game as they added 129 for the unbroken fifth wicket off just 62 balls.

The scores: Australia 196/4 in 20 overs (Tahlia McGrath 26, Ashleigh Gardner 66 n.o., Grace Harris 64 n.o.) bt India 142 in 20 overs (Deepti Sharma 53, Gardner 2/20, Heather Graham 4/8, including a hat-trick); Toss: India. Player-of-the-match and series: Gardner.

Australia won series 4-1.