India kick off T20I series v Aus with fine win at DY

India’s Titas Sadhu celebrates the wicket of Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner yesterday. Pic/PTI

Nineteen-year-old medium-pacer Titas Sadhu gave India the much-needed boost with career-best figures against world champions Australia at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday night.

Sadhu's 4-17 including a dream opening spell of 3-0-8-3, gave India the fillip after being trounced 3-0 in the ODIs the past week. Sadhu's brilliance complemented by off-spinners Shreyanka Patil (2-19) and Deepti Sharma (2-24) helped India bowl out Australia for 141. This was the first time Australia were bundled out in a T20I after 41 innings; the previous instance being a 2020 T20 World Cup game by India.

Openers Shafali Verma (64 not out, 44b, 6x4, 3x6), back in India colours after being dropped for the second and third ODIs, and Smriti Mandhana (54, 52b, 7x4, 1x6) put on 137 (93 balls) to lead the hosts to a comfortable nine-wicket win with 14 balls in hand. India ended their 10-match losing streak against the team from Down Under. This is India's seventh victory over Australia in 32 T20Is.

Also Read: Mumbai restricted to 235-9 by Bihar

India were always ahead in their chase, reaching 59 in six overs and sending the Aussies on the leather hunt. With India choosing to chase, the Renuka Singh versus Alyssa Healy match-up was keenly anticipated. After facing the first two deliveries and getting off the mark with two, the Australian captain was kept off strike to Renuka with Beth Mooney even lofting her over mid-wicket for the match's first six. Off the fifth ball she faced off Renuka, Healy stepped out and pulled her ferociously to midwicket for four. But off the next delivery, Healy played a premeditated stroke to give Harmanpreet Kaur a simple catch at mid-off. This was the fifth time Renuka has consumed Healy inside the Powerplay.

On either side of this dismissal, Sadhu bowled a brilliant spell, giving India vital breakthroughs to leave the world champions in a spot at 33-4 at the end of the Powerplay. Sadhu dismissed both World No. 1 and No. 2 ranked T20I batters in a remarkable opening spell. In her first over, she dismissed No. 2 Mooney, who intended to play to midwicket but a leading edge flew to mid-on for Kaur to run backwards and hold on. In her second over, Sadhu was on a hat-trick, dismissing the No. 1-ranked Tahlia McGrath to a wild shot, the ball flying to third man while off the next, Ashleigh Gardner gave her a simple return catch. Australia rode on a 79-run fifth wicket stand between Elysse Perry (37) and in-form Phoebe Litchfield (49).

Brief scores
Australia 141 all out in 19.2 overs (P Litchfield 49, E Perry 37; T Sadhu 4-17, S Patil 2-19, D Sharma 2-24) lost to India 145-1 in 17.4 overs (S Verma 64, S Mandhana 54) by 9 wkts