A record-breaking opening partnership between Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney powered Australia to a 19-run win over India in the second T20I on Thursday, drawing level in the three-match series.
Voll and Mooney stitched together a superb 128-run stand for the first wicket — Australia’s highest opening partnership against India in women’s T20Is — as the hosts posted 163 for five in 20 overs.
In reply, India began brightly but faltered under pressure, eventually finishing at 144 for nine. Ashleigh Gardner led the bowling effort with 3 for 22, while Kim Garth, Annabel Sutherland and skipper Sophie Molineux chipped in with two wickets each.
The series decider will now be played at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
India were cruising at 65 for one in the ninth over before suffering a dramatic collapse, losing six wickets for just seven runs at the back end of the innings.
Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana provided a brisk start, adding 54 runs in the powerplay to set the tone for the chase. Shafali’s early aggression was complemented by Mandhana’s fluent strokeplay.
However, Molineux turned the tide by trapping Shafali leg-before for 29 off 23 balls, and Gardner soon removed Jemimah Rodrigues (4) to slow India’s momentum. Mandhana was then sharply caught down the leg side by Mooney off Garth, leaving India in trouble at 71 for three.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (36) and Richa Ghosh (19) revived hopes with a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but the mounting required rate forced risky strokes.
Harmanpreet was caught by Molineux at extra cover off Garth on the penultimate ball of the 17th over, and three deliveries later, Ghosh was stumped off Gardner. Gardner then dismissed Deepti Sharma for a duck in the 18th over, effectively ending India’s challenge as they slipped to 128 for six.
Also Read: Georgia Voll leads charge as Australia post big total against India
Earlier, Voll’s commanding 88 off 57 balls — laced with 11 fours and a six — laid the foundation for Australia’s total. Taking advantage of some wayward bowling, the right-hander found gaps with precision and dominated from the outset.
Mooney played the perfect supporting role with 46 off 39 balls, striking four boundaries before being caught at mid-on by Shafali off Arundhati Reddy. The leg-spinner once again impressed, returning figures of 2 for 30 and dismissing both openers, though a dropped catch off Gardner denied her another wicket.
The 128-run stand surpassed the previous Australian record against India — the 115-run partnership between Alyssa Healy and Mooney in Melbourne in 2020 — underlining the dominance of the opening pair.
Brief scores:
Australia Women 163/5 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.
