NAVI MUMBAI: If the Indian women’s team needed a spark of brilliance to inspire them to come roaring back from the 190-run mauling at the hands of Australia in the third and final ODI in a such a short turnaround time, they got it from a 19-year-old from Bengal who is definitely the future of Indian fast bowling.
Delivering the best spell of her nascent career — four for 17 in four overs in which she made the ball move around venomously —
Titas Sadhu
blew away Australia’s top order, and a bit of the tail, to skittle them out for merely 141 in 19.2 overs in the opening women’s T20I on Friday.
The opening duo of
Shafali Varma
(64 not out, 44b, 6x4, 3x6) and Smriti Mandhana (54, 52b, 7x4, 1x6) then tore into the Aussie bowling, blasting off scintillating half-centuries, adding 137 in merely 93 balls to make a mockery of the modest target.
Dropped from the last two ODIs against Australia, Shafali proved her worth with powerful strokes. The bowler who suffered the most at the marauding pair’s hands was Australian vice-captain Tahlia McGrath, who went for 24 in the 12th over, after she was out for a rare six-ball duck earlier.
The tone of India’s swift chase was set by Aussie pacer Darcie Brown, who bowled three balls wide down the leg side, including a no ball, in the opening over which fetched India 14 runs. Much to her team’s dugout and the few spectators’ delight, Jemimah Rodrigues swept legspinner Georgia Wareham for a four to seal India’s thumping nine-wicket win, which came with 14 balls to spare.
Putting the humiliation of a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Australia in the preceding ODI series behind in style, India have thrown a counter punch at the seven-time world champions to take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series, with the next match on Sunday night. For the record, this is now India’s biggest win — in terms of wickets — over Australia in T20Is.
It is just the third time Australia have suffered a ninewicket defeat in a T20I. Ironically, India’s last T20I win against the same rivals came at the same venue, DY Patil Stadium, via the Super Over in December 2022.
Enjoying a dream spell, Sadhu, who came at one change, prised out opener Beth Mooney (17), McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner (0) and Annabel Sutherland (12) to leave the Aussies, who had never played her earlier, stunned.
Perhaps India erred in not playing Sadhu in the ODI series. In fact, the teenaged seamer was playing for the first time this home season since featuring in the T20Is against England in December. Fired up by Sadhu’s super show with the ball, India almost miraculously shed off their mediocre fielding in the ODIs to put on their best show in this department in a long, long time.
Sadhu, though, isn’t the only future bowling star in India’s arsenal. Following up on her 3/57 in the last ODI, offspinner Shreyanka Patil took two for 19 in 3.2 overs, her victims being Grace Harris (1) and Georgia Wareham (5).
English (US) ·