Australia spun off course as India claim victory in Women's T20 World Cup opener

After Australia restricted India to what looked a below par 4-132, Alyssa Healy struck an impressive 50, but a masterclass in spin bowling from Poonam Yadav handed India an opening night victory that marks them as genuine contenders.

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With a dramatic Australian batting collapse, India have beaten the reigning T20 World Cup champions in emphatic style, announcing themselves as real contenders in the tournament.

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India’s 17-run win was built on the back of their world-class spin bowling lineup that completely perplexed the Australians on the slower Sydney Showground pitch.

The only positive for the Australians was that keeper-batter Alyssa Healy finally broke the shackles of her previous six low scores and hit an entertaining 51 (35 balls, which included six fours and one six), seemingly setting up the Aussies perfectly in their 133-run chase.

But cricket is about momentum: one moment the Australians were celebrating Healy’s half-century and the next were looking on in shock as India’s spin queen Poonam Yadav wreaked havoc.

Australia began a home tournament they are expected to win with an emphatic defeat.

Not only did Yadav – returning from a finger injury – bring Healy’s innings to an end with a caught and bowled, but she found herself on a hat-trick when she had Rachael Haynes stumped for six and then bowled Ellyse Perry for a duck.

After the game, Healy said she could take added confidence from her score, but was disappointed to not have put together a match-winning knock.

"Me getting out wasn't ideal, I think we needed a match-winning score there and we probably didn't chase as smart as what we have in the past," she said.

"Full credit to Poonam, I thought she bowled quite cleverly tonight.

"We'd obviously prepared for her, but just didn't play her very well and lost our way in the middle. I think, when only two batters get over double figures, you're not going to chase down a total too many times. 

"We just couldn't build a partnership and that's probably where we fell away."

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From the point of Perry's dismissal, and in front of 13,432 people - the biggest crowd for a women’s standalone cricket game in Australia – drama unfolded as Australia collapsing to 6/82.

Alyssa Healy's return to form wasn't enough for Australia to claim victory.

Needing 21 runs off the final over, when a gallant Ashleigh Gardner (34 runs from 36 balls) was caught and bowled by Shikha Pandey, tailenders Molly Strano – jettisoned into the Aussie team after Tayla Vlaeminck was ruled out of the tournament with a foot injury –  and Megan Schutt couldn’t get the runs.

The result is a huge blow to Australia’s campaign.

When the game started, it seemed that luck was on the side of the green and gold: and particularly that of Healy.

Early in the fielding innings after Australia sent India into bat, India was on 2/43 in the seventh over and their captain Harmanpreet Kaur came to the crease to face Jess Jonassen’s slow left-arm orthodox.

Poonam Yadav claimed four wickets as Australia crumbled before her.

Kaur skipped a few paces out of her crease and missed her shot, the ball then flying past the stumps, hitting Healy’s lower leg and rebounding back into the stumps knocking off the bails. Kaur was remarkably dismissed for just two.

With that dismissal, the Aussies contained India to 4/132 after they got off to a lightning start with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma smashing 40 runs in the first four overs - largely thanks to the bat of Verma, who belted the World’s No. 1 T20 bowler, Schutt, for 16 (four-fours) in six balls.

With the run rate sitting on 10, Jess Jonassen was brought into the attack with immediate effect, dismissing India’s vice captain Mandhana lbw for 10 (11), before Ellyse Perry brought Verma’s entertaining innings to an end, having her caught at mid-on after she’d smashed 29 off 15.

Then came the stumping and suddenly India had gone from 0/40 at the four-over mark to 3/51 by the end of the next four.

There’s no doubt 133 seemed a gettable target, but with seven batters only able to amass 25 runs between them, the target was out of reach.

The Australians fly to Perth on Saturday and will play Sri Lanka at the WACA on Monday.  

Originally published as Australia spun off course as India claim victory in Women's T20 World Cup opener