Australia clinched their third and final Twenty20 international against India by seven wickets on Tuesday to secure a 2-1 series win.
Set 148 to win, Australia chased the target with eight balls to spare, Alyssa Healy leading the way with a 38-ball 55, while Beth Mooney anchored the innings with an unbeaten 45-ball 52.
There were smart cameos from Tahlia McGrath (20 off 15) and Phoebe Litchfield (17 not out off 13) and fine bowling from Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham as India reached 147. Ellyse Perry, who made her 300th appearance for Australia when she hit winning runs with a six in the second match, it was a golden duck.
Although deserved, Australia’s win was not without luck, with the first stroke being winning the toss, which Healy did after calling heads rather than her usual tails. The second batting team has won 12 of the previous 15 women’s matches at the Navi Mumbai venue, including the previous two matches in the series.
A second piece of luck arrived with Australia easing towards the target at 60 for no loss in the seventh over. Healy, on 38, cut Pooja Vastrakar to point where Jemimah Rodrigues took what looked like a brilliant low catch and leapt forward. It was the breakthrough India needed and the team and crowd celebrated as Healy removed his helmet and headed for the sheds.
The umpires then asked for a televised review to see if the catch was clean. After nearly three minutes of inconclusive, blurry footage, the TV referee ruled Healy out.
The fight had visibly drained from the Indian team and the large crowd of 43,523 went silent. Healy put on his helmet again and seven balls later reached his 16th half-century in his 150th T20I.
Healy was out soon after, a leg before, but another 25 runs were added in quick time and although Perry also bowled another ball, Australia were cruising.
Earlier, Sutherland, the most expensive player in the auction for the upcoming WIPL at A$364,000, delighted the Delhi Capitals fans at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy by taking two for 12 in his four overs.
Wareham took two for 24 in her four overs, but Australia’s other bowlers were uncharacteristically expensive. It was a consolation for Megan Schutt (one for 36) that her wicket with a well-disguised slower ball off Shafali Verma made her 131 the leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20 Internationals.
