IND-A vs AUS-A: Aussie pace too hot to handle for India in Mullanpur

File | Tess Flintoff’s four-wicket haul helped Australia A trigger an Indian batting collapse in the first T20 in New Chandigarh. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

India proved no match for Australia’s raw pace in the 1st T20 of the women’s A series between the two nations at the PCA International Cricket Stadium’s A Ground in New Chandigarh on Saturday.

India A skipper Anushka Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in the evening fixture, but the plan went awry from the word go with the pace trio of Darcie Brown, Tess Flintoff and Sianna Ginger keeping the hosts in check.

After a stingy two-run over from Brown to get things going, Flintoff dismissed Vrinda Dinesh for a solitary run off the first ball of the second over. Anushka Sharma fell to Ginger in the final ball of the third leaving India A reeling at 17/2. Shipra Giri fought back, using the introduction of the off spinner Lilly Mills. She and Tejal Hasabnis hit a six each off the 25-year-old’s first over to arrest the slide temporarily, but Flintoff scooped up Shipra’s wicket off the very next over for a spirited 15-ball 17.

Tejal kept motoring on, playing risk-free cricket but finding the boundaries when the opportunities presented themselves.

Milly Illingworth then struck twice in her opening over, taking the crucial wickets of Niki Prasad and Shweta Sehrawat, reducing India to 50/5 at the end of the eighth over.

Charlie Knott then removed Tejal off the first ball of the ninth over to leave the tail with a herculean task to get the host to a respectable score. The onus of that landed on the experienced shoulders of Minnu Mani.

While she lost Tanuja Kanwer to Flintoff, Minnu made most of Brown’s erratic pace to score 18 runs off her over including three fours and a six. Brown had the last laugh, getting her wicket off the last ball.

India’s last two wickets yielded 29 runs as the Indian effort folded for 117 in 19 overs.

Tahlia Wilson and Rachel Trenaman got off to a brisk start, picking 11 runs from the opening over from Shabnam Shakil. Sayali Satghare, sharing new ball duties, managed to keep the pair relatively quiet. But the first breakthrough for India would come from Jintimani Kalita who removed Trenaman for 11 off 10 balls. Sayali removed Wilson a couple of overs later but Australia’s pursuit never derailed.

Katie Mack took Shabnim to the cleaners in the seventh over which yielded 25 runs, featuring three fours and two sixes, brigning the target down to 52 needed off 78 balls. Anushka Sharma dismissed Mack in the 10th over and would dismiss Knott in the 13th. But, Aussie skipper Nicola Faltum and Anika Learoyd got the job done for the visitors with six overs to spare.

The 2nd T20 will be played at the same venue on September 15 (Tuesday).

BRIEF SCORES

India A 117/10 (Minnu Mani 23, Tejas Hasabnis 22; Tess Flintoff 4/13) lost to Australia A 121/4 (Charlie Knott 35, Anika Learoyd 33 n.o; Anushka Sharma 2/14) by six wickets.