Australia wiped from history as India pull off record run chase in ODI World Cup semi

Australia’s all-conquering women’s one-day cricket team has been bundled out of the World Cup, in a match that quickly turned into a total horror show.

Australia has been knocked out of the Women’s Cricket World Cup by India, as they pulled off the greatest run chase in tournament history to reach the final on Thursday.

India chased down 339 with nine balls to spare to win by five wickets, beating the record set by Australia against India in the World Cup just a few weeks ago.

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Jemimah Rodrigues hit an unbeaten 127 to help India create history, as the Australian side were left to rue several fielding blunders that gave the all-conquering Rodrigues second and third lives.

Aussie Alyssa Healy inexplicably dropped Rodrigues on just 82, letting a regulation pop-up catch slip through her gloves, when India still needed more than 100 runs to win.

You can watch the dropped chance in the player above.

Former IPL batter Abhishek Jhunjhunwala called it a “massive drop” on BBC’s Test Match Special and he couldn’t have been more right.

Rodrigues was then given another life when Tahlia McGrath dropped her again on 106.
From there Rodrigues was clinical, leading India to a historic victory.

Errors cost Australia against India. Image: Getty

Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations in the Indian camp with smiles and tears of joy.

“Firstly, I want to thank Jesus, because I couldn’t do this on my own. I know he carried me through today,” said player of the match Rodrigues, a Christian born in Mumbai.

“It was really hard these last four months, but it just feels like a dream and it’s not sunk in yet,” added Rodrigues, who was promoted to number three for a second time in three matches.

“Towards the end, I was just quoting a scripture from the Bible - to just stand still and that God will fight for me. I just stood there, and he fought for me.”

India will now face South Africa in the final at the same venue on Sunday, where the 50-over marquee tournament will get a new champion.

India's Jemimah Rodrigues celebrates. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Tahlia McGrath drops Jemimah Rodrigues of India. (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

India have twice been runners-up, in 2005 and 2017.

The hosts made history to get past the previous best chase of 331 by Australia against India in the league stage of this edition.

Seven-time champions Australia faltered in their title defence and suffered their first defeat in the ODI World Cup after 15 victories since 2017 when India beat them in the semi-final.

India looked in trouble at 2/59 in the 10th over, but Rodrigues and Kaur rode the storm and then took the attack to the opposition at a nearly-packed house that cheered every run.

In the end fielding errors was the story of the day for Australia, as India dug in to secure a hard-fought win.

Australia's Phoebe Litchfield celebrates after scoring a century. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP)

Alyssa Healy says Australian side only has themselves to blame

Having been beaten in the 2017 semi-final by India and having lost last year’s semi against South Africa in the T20 World Cup, defeat would have felt eerily familiar for Australian captain Alyssa Healy.

Healy only chipped in five with the bat and then dropped a crucial catch in the field.

She was left bitterly disappointed post-match in what she described as an ‘incomplete’ performance.

“I mean, good contest in the end, I think. Probably reflecting on that, we did that to ourselves a little bit. It’s probably the first time that I’ve felt like we’ve done that,” Healy said in the post-match presentation.

“So, we probably didn’t finish off with a bat, didn’t roll that great, and dropped all our chances in the field and still hung in there until the second-last over. So, I mean, we can take something out of that, but ultimately outdone in the end.

“I thought, you know, we half done the job. I thought we probably left a few out there at the back end, fell away a little bit in the last ten.

“But in saying that, 338, still a good wicket. I thought if we could execute with the ball, hold on to our chances, we were well in the game.

“We just weren’t able to capitalise on that. But it is what it is”.

After Australia elected to bat in overcast conditions, Phoebe Litchfield smashed 119 off 93 balls to steer the team to 338 all out.

Hosts India struck regular blows after a second-wicket partnership of 155 between Litchfield and Ellyse Perry, who made 77 after overturning an early lbw decision.

But Ashleigh Gardner ensured that Australia’s good start did not go to waste as she contributed a brisk 63 before the last three wickets fell in the final over.

Spinners Shree Charani and Deepti took two wickets each.

Both teams wore black armbands in support of promising 17-year-old Australian cricketer Ben Austin, who died Thursday after being struck with a ball while training in Melbourne.

- with AFP