That's it from our coverage of the 2nd T20 international between Australia Women and India Women from the Manuka Oval. The hosts level up after going down in the series opener. Some fantastic performances both with the bat and ball from the Aussies after the skipper mentioned they let down in all 3 departments in the opener.
Ninaad Dixit here signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Dev Rajawat, scorer Ghanendra Singh Thakur and statistician Aman. Stay tuned for more action from around the world.
Sophie Molineux (Australia Women Captain): (On the significance of the win) “Yeah, it was a really good game. I thought we set things up nicely, but India came hard just like we expected. I’m really pleased with how we held our nerve because it was a hard-fought contest.
(On adjustments after the previous match) We didn’t feel the need to change too much. It was more about learning from the first game and trusting what we do well. I’m proud of how the bowlers stayed composed under pressure and stuck to their plans.
(On the team’s squeeze in the second innings) It was brilliant to watch. We spoke before the game about really applying the squeeze whenever the opportunity came. Everyone bought into that mindset, whether with the ball or in the field, and those dot balls and wickets created a lot of pressure.
(On the use of reviews during the game) When you’ve got two reviews in 20 overs, you do have to be a bit proactive early on. That first one was a huge moment, a massive wicket for us. It was a last-minute call, but I’m very glad we decided to go upstairs.”
Harmanpreet Kaur (India Women Captain): "We were looking for runs but while batting we should have taken some more responsibility. Losing Smriti was a turning point. Now we know the pitch and hopefully we will plan better for the next game.
They started well but stopping them to a decent total was a big positive. We had good partnerships. It was about taking the game deeper, one batter taking responsibility and taking the team forward."
Georgia Voll (Player of the Match): (On the performance and personal milestone) “Yeah, it’s obviously nice to contribute to the team. After the game the other night in Sydney, we were really looking to come back and dominate this one, so it was great to be able to put in a performance like that and level the series.
(On the series situation heading into the third T20) Definitely. It’s been a couple of very hard-fought games so far. We’re now looking forward to getting to Adelaide and hopefully putting together another strong performance to go 2-1 up.
(On supporting the captain after her first win as skipper) Of course. Sophie did a fantastic job tonight. She led us really well, kept everyone calm, and reminded us that the game can change quickly. You saw that with a couple of wickets, and it was nice for us as a group to come together and get the result.”
Lowest Margin Win in Canberra in WT20Is (By Runs):
6 by Australia vs England, 2025
13 by England vs Australia, 2011
19 by Australia vs India, 2026, Tonight*
40 by England vs Australia, 2017
5:02 PM IST, 10:32 PM Local Time: Australia level up the multi-format series with a thumping 19-run victory over India at the Manuka Oval! Excellent performance with the bat from Georgia Voll set up the game with the bowling attack combining to restrict the Indians.
India won the toss and sent Australia in to bat. The hosts put up 163/5 in 20 overs. The openers added 128 runs for the first wicket in 14.5 overs but the rest of the order failed to make good use of the start provided by Georgia Voll (88 off 57) and Beth Mooney (46 off 39).
Tidy bowling from the Indian camp with Renuka Singh Thakur (1/27), Arundhati Reddy (2/30) and Kranti Gaud (0/24) restricting the scoring somewhat. But eventually it was a good enough total for Australia to defend.
The Indians were off to a very good start with Smriti Mandhana (31 off 24) and Shafali Verma (29 off 23) adding 54 runs in the powerplay and another 3 runs before Verma was sent back by skipper Sophie Molineux in the 7th over.
Ashleigh Gardner sent Jemimah Rodrigues back cheaply for 4, Mandhana was next to depart nicking one to Beth Mooney down the leg side off Kim Garth's bowling. Harmanpreet Kaur (36 off 30) and Richa Ghosh (19 off 20) added 55 runs for the 4th wicket but the scoring rate was kept well in check by the Aussies.
India lost wickets at regular interval with Harmanpreet, Ghosh and Deepti Sharma being sent back to the shed in the space of 7 balls. Arundhati Reddy and Amanjot Kaur were dismissed in the penultimate over by Annabel Sutherland. 32 runs were needed in the final over, Shree Charani was dismissed by Molineux. Kranti Gaud entertained with some lusty blows smashing 12 in 5 balls with a four and a biggie but the total remained out of India's grasp.
Ashleigh Garnder (3/22) opening the bowling was the pick of the bowlers. Annabel Sutherland (2/18) and Kim Garth (2/16) picked up crucial wickets and stopped the flow of runs. Skipper Molineux was slightly expensive but picked up 2 wickets for 37.
The next T20I will be played on Saturday in Adelaide. India and Australia both have 2 points each in the multi-format series.
OVER 20
India Women
144/9
Kranti Gaud
12(5)
Renuka Singh Thakur
1(1)
Sophie Molineux
2-37(4.0)
19.6 S Molineux to K Gaud
4 FOUR! NICELY PLAYED! Full and around middle. Gaud advances again and smashes it over the bowler's head, bisecting both long on and long off fielders for a boundary. AUSTRALIA WOMEN HAVE DEFEATED INDIA WOMEN BY 19 RUNS TO LEVEL THE SERIES BY 1-1!!!