India’s World Cup Journey Ends as Australia Storm Into Women’s T20 World Cup Semis

India’s campaign in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup came to an end as they suffered a six-wicket defeat to Australia , who sealed a semifinal berth with a dominant chase in Group A here on Sunday.

From India’s perspective, it was a story of strong batting effort but a failing defence under pressure . India posted a competitive 170 for 4 in 20 overs , powered by a fluent top-order start and a late surge. Openers Smriti Mandhana (38) and Shafali Verma (34) laid a solid foundation with a 66-run stand , though the scoring rate remained controlled in the middle overs.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played a stunning counterattacking knock of 56 off 27 balls , striking boundaries at will and giving India a strong finish. Jemimah Rodrigues (34 off 28) also contributed before being retired out as India looked to maximise late acceleration. Despite these efforts, India’s innings reflected inconsistent momentum at crucial phases .

In reply, Australia chased down the target in 19 overs , finishing at 172 for 4 , led by a match-defining 100-run partnership between Ellyse Perry (56 off 38) and Ashleigh Gardner (53 not out off 29) .

India briefly found control when Australia slipped to 68 for 3 in 9.1 overs , with early breakthroughs putting pressure on the defending champions. However, Perry and Gardner shifted the momentum with authority, combining experience and power-hitting to dismantle the attack.

Gardner targeted the spinners aggressively, while Perry anchored the chase with controlled strokeplay, hitting eight fours before falling to Sree Charani , India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Earlier, contributions from Beth Mooney (22) and Phoebe Litchfield (24) supported Australia’s top order before India’s bowlers struck early.

With this result, Australia topped Group A with 10 points , while South Africa (8 points) also advanced to the semifinals after defeating Bangladesh earlier in the day. India finished third with six points , exiting the tournament at the group stage.

In the end, India’s exit reflected a recurring theme of competitive totals and individual brilliance, but inability to sustain pressure against top teams in crunch moments .