IND W vs AUS W: Renuka Singh Thakur on fire, Australia lose back-to-back wickets

A good start for Team India in their must-win game against Australia in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. In the 3rd over, Renuka Singh Thakur struck by sending back both Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham in quick succession, reducing the Aussies to 18 for 2 after 3 overs.

First, the Indian pacer dismissed the Australian wicketkeeper with a back-of-a-length ball. Credit goes to Radha Yadav for the brilliant catch, as Mooney departed for 2 off 7 balls.

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Later, she did not allow the incoming batter, Georgia Wareham, to settle and sent her back for a duck. Thakur bowled from wider of the crease and delivered a full ball that swung in. Wareham played down the wrong line, and the ball struck her in front. The umpire took his time before raising his finger. Wareham had a long discussion with Grace Harris but ultimately decided against the review. However, after walking back, replays and ball-tracking revealed that the ball would have missed the leg stump.

As of now, the Powerplay is complete, and Australia, who opted to bat first, has scored 37 runs while losing two wickets. Grace Harris and stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath are currently at the crease.

Both teams are dealing with injuries. Australia is without their captain, Alyssa Healy (acute right foot injury), and Tayla Vlaeminck (right shoulder dislocation). For the Women in Blue, Asha Sobhana rolled her ankle while warming up just after the toss and has been ruled out, with Radha Yadav stepping in as her replacement.

BCCI Women on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote, "Ms Asha Sobhana is unable to participate in the today's game against Australia after she suffered a knee injury during the warm-up on the sidelines of toss. Radha Yadav will replace Asha in the Playing XI. The ICC Match Referee requested the Australian captain who agreed to the request for a replacement in India's Playing XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring Asha's progress".

Teams:

Australia Women (Playing XI): Beth Mooney(w), Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath(c), Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur Singh

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