AUS-W vs IND-W 4th T20I: Richa Ghosh’s valiant 40 in vain as Australia clinch series with 7-run win against India

Australia defeated India by seven runs in the fourth game of the Women's T20I series on Saturday (December 17) at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium. With one game left in the series, the Australians also won the series 3-1.

Australia's highest T20 score against India came after they were given the opportunity to bat first. Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath got out cheaply.  Alyssa Healy, raced to a 21-ball 30 with six fours but was forced to retire hurt due to an injury.

With a 94-run third-wicket stand, Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry managed to get their team back into the game. Gardner got 42 runs off 27 balls with three fours and as many sixes by making effective use of the long handle.

But Perry's unbeaten 42-ball 72, which included seven fours and four sixes, gave the Australian innings a decisive boost. Grace Harris provided Perry some assistance with a lightning-fast 12-ball 27 that included four fours and a six.

Close finish in the fourth #INDvAUS T20I but it was Australia who won the match! #TeamIndia will look to bounce back in the fifth & final T20I of the series on Tuesday 

Scorecard  https://t.co/kG4AnI9x7J pic.twitter.com/i3wgeyRxB2

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 17, 2022

Deepti Sharma, who finished with figures of 4-0-35-2, was India's best bowler. Deepti also comes four wickets short of Bhuvneshwar Kumar's record for the most T20 International wickets by an Indian bowler.

India had to complete their most successful run-chase in T20I history in order to win the game and remain in the series. A 23-run partnership between Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana from 2.4 overs helped India get off to an aggressive start in the run chase.

However, both batters were dismissed quickly one after the other, leaving India at 43 for two after 5.4 overs. Harmanpreet Kaur and Devika Vaidya added 72 runs for the fourth wicket after that to maintain India's chances. Harmanpreet got out to King, who grabbed up her second wicket. With six fours and a six in her 46 runs off 30 balls, Kaur was beginning to look menacing.

Richa Ghosh, who assisted India in winning the second WT20I in the Super Over after Kaur's dismissal, was forced to take the majority of the chances because Vaidya wasn't a pure power batter.

When McGrath dropped her with her batting on 17, she received a lifeline.  India needed 41 runs to win in the final three overs, which wasn't by any means an insurmountable job in today's cricket.

However, Gardner dismissed Vaidya in the very next over after the pressured 26-ball 32 score. With only three runs conceded by Gardner in the 18th over, India needed to score 38 runs in the final 12 balls to secure a stunning victory.

In the final over, Schutt maintained her composure and handed Deepti a single to put Australia in control of the match. Ghosh took a single and continued to play flawlessly, scoring 40 runs off of 19 balls (four fours and one six), but it wasn't enough to help India cross the finish line.

Brief Scores:
Australia: 188 for 3 in 20 overs (Ellyse Perry 72 not out, Ashleigh Gardner 42; Deepti Sharma 2/35).

India: 181 all out in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 46, Richa Ghosh 40 not out; Ashleigh Gardner 2/20, Alana King 2/23).

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