AUS-W vs IND-W

As the teams move to Adelaide for the final T20I, India will look to bat deeper and take greater responsibility in crunch moments, while Australia will aim to carry forward their bowling discipline and composure in tight situations. A series on the line — it doesn’t get better than this.

Australia Women level the series 1–1 with a composed performance in Canberra, riding on a match-defining opening partnership of128 and a disciplined bowling effort that held firm under pressure. India showed fight in patches, especially with key partnerships and a strong effort to restrict the total, but will know that converting starts and finishing games will be crucial heading into the decider.

Sophie Molinuex [Australia captain]: "(On her first win as captain) It means a lot. It was a quality game, and our bowlers set it up beautifully. We knew India would come hard at us, but we held our nerve under pressure, which was really pleasing. (On responding after the first game) We didn’t feel the need to overhaul too much. It was about learning from the first match and backing our processes. I’m proud of how the group stayed composed, especially with the ball, and executed under pressure. (On squeezing the game in the second innings) We spoke about building pressure even when there weren’t obvious wicket-taking opportunities. The energy in the field was excellent, and you could sense the shift when we strung together dot balls and picked up key wickets. It created a tense atmosphere, but we embraced it and attacked at the right moments. (On the review decisions, including Smriti’s wicket) With two reviews available, you can afford to be proactive early on. The Smriti decision was a big moment — we were decisive, and thankfully it paid off. In games like this, those marginal calls can make a significant difference."

Harmanpreet Kaur [India captain]: "(On the turning point in the chase) We needed to take more responsibility with the bat. Smriti and I had built a crucial partnership, and losing her at that stage shifted momentum. That wicket was a turning point for us. It was our first time batting on this surface, and now that we understand the conditions better, we’ll plan more effectively going into the next game. (On positives from the match) Even though Australia started strongly, pulling them back to a competitive total was a big positive. With the bat, we had a few promising partnerships, but the key is taking the game deeper. We need one batter to stay till the end and finish the job — that’s the difference in tight contests like this."

Georgia Voll is the Player of the Match! Here's what she has to say: "(On her match-winning 88 and bouncing back in the series) It’s always special to contribute in a game like this. After the result in Sydney, we were determined to respond strongly and really take control tonight. Personally, it felt great to deliver when it mattered and help level the series at 1–1. (On heading into the series decider) It’s been a fiercely contested couple of matches, and that’s exactly what you expect at this level. We’re excited to head to Adelaide with the series on the line and will be aiming to carry this momentum forward and put in another strong performance to try and seal it 2–1. (On supporting captain Sophie and the team effort) Soph led brilliantly tonight. She kept us calm, reminded us to stay tight as a group, and believe that the game can turn quickly — which it did once we picked up those key wickets. It was important for us to rally around her, especially for her first win as captain, and it was satisfying to come together and get the job done as a unit."

10:34 PM local time, 5:04 PM IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Australia Women (163/5 in 20 overs) beat India Women (144/9 in 20 overs) by 19 runs

Georgia Voll 88(51) | Ashleigh Gardner 3/22(4)
Harmanpreet Kaur 36(30) | Arundhati Reddy 2/30(4)

India would be wondering what happened with the run chase, it was like they came down off a cliff.

126/3 in 16.4 overs to 133/9 in 19.3 overs - 7 runs for 6 wickets in 17 balls

That is a huge collapse, catastrophic and Australia have showed their class. This also marks Sophie Molineux's first win as the Aussie skipper, she looks a pleased skipper tonight

It looked like Australia had found themselves short at the halfway mark, they looked well on course for getting close to 190 but their innings stuttered in the death and they could only muster 163 on the back of a career-best 88 from Georgia Voll

India were well on track, 54/0 at the end of the powerplay with both Smriti and Shafali looking set at the crease. Then the Aussie skipper broke the stand in the 7th over, the Indian innings just did not get any momentum from there on.

A space of 30 balls without a boundary, India completely lost the plot. Big credits to the Aussie bowlers who executed brilliantly and kept the batters in check. Jemi went cheaply, Smriti and Harman got 30s but could not make it bigger, Richa struggled her way to a 20-ball 19 but apart from that it was like an old scooter that broke down on the highway.

1-1 in the 3-match T20 series now, Aussies have squared it up with 2 points each in respect to the all-format series and that is exactly what they were expected to do

19.6 Sophie Molineux to Kranti Gaud, FOUR MORE! THAT'S IT! Gaud finishes with a flurry, but was never going to be enough. Australia finish a clinical win as they bounce back to square the series, 1-1! Down the wicket again Gaud, smacked it straight down the ground and it races away to the ropes.

19.5 Sophie Molineux to Kranti Gaud, SIX! BAM! Great shot from Gaud, clears Perry for a maximum. Skips down the wicket, Gaud launches it all the way over long-off and sails over the ropes.

19.3 Sophie Molineux to Shree Charani, OUT! MILES UP IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! This is a procession from India, ninth wicket goes down. Length delivery on the stumps, Charani launches it down to long-on. Perry settles under it, inches behind the stumps and takes a well judged catch.

19.2 Sophie Molineux to Kranti Gaud, OH! Bursts through the hands of Molineux. Length delivery on the off-stump, Gaud takes a shimmy down the wicket and slams it back past the bowler. Molineux leaps to her left.

19.1 Sophie Molineux to Kranti Gaud, slants it on a length on the off-stump. Gaud tapped it to point. Charani took off for a suicidal single, sent back in time.