Australia levelled the three-match T20I series with a 19-run win over India in the second match on Thursday, powered by a record opening partnership between Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney.
The pair added 128 runs for the first wicket — Australia’s highest opening stand against India in women’s T20Is — helping the hosts post 163 for 5.
India started the chase well but finished at 144 for nine. Ashleigh Gardner took 3/22, while Kim Garth, Annabel Sutherland and captain Sophie Molineux picked up two wickets each.
The series decider will be played at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
India were well placed at 65 for one in the ninth over before losing momentum, collapsing late with six wickets falling for seven runs. The chase had begun quickly with Shafali Verma attacking early and Smriti Mandhana building on that start.
The openers added 54 in the powerplay.
Molineux broke the stand by trapping Shafali leg-before for 29 off 23 balls, and Gardner removed Jemimah Rodrigues for four. India’s scoring slowed further when Mandhana was caught down the leg side by Mooney off Garth.
With India at 71 for three, captain
Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh added 55 runs for the fourth wicket. But the rising required rate forced risks. Harmanpreet was caught by Molineux off Garth on the second-last ball of the 17th over, and three balls later Ghosh was stumped off Gardner. Gardner then had Deepti Sharma caught by Sutherland in the 18th over, leaving India at 128 for six.
Earlier, Voll scored 88 and Mooney made 46 in the record opening stand of 128. Arundhati Reddy, who also saw a catch dropped off her final ball when Gardner was batting, dismissed both openers and finished with figures of 4-0-30-2.
The partnership surpassed Australia’s previous best first-wicket stand against India in women’s T20Is — 115 runs shared by Alyssa Healy and Mooney in March 2020 in Melbourne.
Voll led the scoring, hitting 11 fours and one six in her 57-ball 88. Mooney played the supporting role but fell four short of a half-century, caught at mid-on by Shafali off Arundhati in the 15th over after scoring 46 from 39 balls with four boundaries.
Australia Women 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Georgia Voll 88, Beth Mooney 46; Arundhati Reddy 2/30) beat India Women 144/9 Harmanpreet Kaur 36; Ashleigh Gardner 3/22) by 19 runs.
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