Snehasis Mukherjee in Navi Mumbai
The DY Patil Stadium witnessed a historic night as India pulled off a record-breaking run chase, defeating Australia by five wickets in the second semi-final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. Chasing 339, Jemimah Rodrigues led the way with a stunning unbeaten 127, while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored a crucial 89. Their partnership and a few late contributions sealed India’s spot in the final.
This was India’s highest-ever successful chase in Women’s ODIs, and also the highest successful chase in Women’s World Cup history.
A record crowd of around 35,000 turned up in Navi Mumbai and created an electric atmosphere. Every run was cheered, every boundary celebrated — the fans truly became the 12th player for India.
Asked to chase a mammoth total of 339, India had a shaky start. Shafali Verma, returning to this format, was dismissed for just 10. Jemimah walked in at No.3, joining Smriti Mandhana, who looked fluent but fell for 24, strangled down the leg side. India were reduced to 59/2 in 9.2 overs.
From there, Harmanpreet and Jemimah steadied the ship. The pair stitched a brilliant 167-run stand, batting with calm and control. They rotated the strike smartly, punished loose balls, and kept the scoreboard ticking. Both reached their fifties, and their communication in the middle stood out.
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After her second fifty of the tournament, Harmanpreet began to accelerate and was cruising toward a century. But a sharp catch from Ashleigh Gardner ended her innings at 89 off 88 balls.
Deepti Sharma then joined Jemimah and added 38 runs before being run out for 24. With the finish line in sight, Richa Ghosh walked in and smashed a quick 26 off 16, including a couple of massive sixes. Finally, Amanjot Kaur and Jemimah guided India home with nine balls and five wickets remaining.
As the winning shot was hit, Indian players rushed onto the field to celebrate with Jemimah, while the crowd erupted in joy. The way India executed the chase was remarkable — they put the mighty Aussies under pressure, forcing misfields, dropped catches, and nervous errors.
This was the composure India had been missing in crunch games — and they delivered it when it mattered the most.
After 2017, India once again knocked Australia out in a World Cup semi-final. Now, Harmanpreet and her team will face South Africa in the final on November 2, at the same venue.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Alyssa Healy opted to bat first and Australia posted 338 in 49.5 overs. Phoebe Litchfield starred with a classy 119 off 93, while Ellyse Perry (77 off 88) and Gardner (63 off 45) added valuable runs. India’s fielding was average, with a few misfields and overthrows that didn’t help their cause — but the batters more than made up for it later under lights.
Also Read: Litchfield’s ton, Gardner’s late surge power Australia to 338 against India