CWG 2022: India to meet Australia in the gold medal clash in cricket
India strive to avenge their loss to Aussies in the group stage and take home the coveted gold medal from first-ever CWG T20I.
India booked their place in the Commonwealth Games 2022 T20I gold medal game against Australia on Sunday (August 7) in Edgbaston. Harmanpreet Kaur & company defeated hosts England in a close-fought semifinal on Saturday (August 6) by just four runs.
On a surface that became tricky to bat on as the match progressed, India found two heroes in the form of veteran opener Smriti Mandhana and young Jemimah Rodrigues.
While Mandhana smashed her way to a record fastest T20I half-century by an Indian woman, ending with 61 off 32 balls, Rodrigues reinforced her talent and pedigree with a critical knock of 44 not out off 31 deliveries.
With the ball, the visitors kept the experienced opposition batting line-up at bay, thanks largely to Deepti Sharma (1/18) and Sneh Rana (2/28), who were simply brilliant on the big day. Rana helped India defend the 14 runs England required off the final over, giving away only runs in an exceptional death-overs display by the spinner.
India overhaul hosts England to set-up CWG finale versus Australia
Awaiting India for the finale clash in Edgbaston are the mighty Australians, who continued their winning juggernaut for the competition with a comprehensive win over New Zealand in the other semifinal of the day.
Experienced seamer Megan Schutt led the pack with the ball, bagging three wickets for just 20 runs off her 4 overs. Schutt was backed up impressively by Tahlia McGrath, who picked up 2 for 30 to help Australia keep the White Ferns down to a manageable score of 144/7 in 20 overs.
WATCH: Smriti Mandhana's imperious 61 in CWG 2022 semifinal against England
Despite freeflowing thirties from Beth Mooney (36) and Tahlia McGrath (34), Australia endured their stutters and found themselves in a bit of a bother in the second half, before sensible knocks from Rachael Haynes (19) and Ashleigh Gardner (19*) propelled the side through in the final over.
Having conceded irrevocable ground with the bat, New Zealand found it very difficult to put the pressure on the Australians despite Lea Tahuhu taking a three-fer (3/20) on the night.
The ruthless Aussies will now take on the spirited Indians in the summit clash, starting Sunday at 9:30 PM IST.