London, June 28 (IANS) Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Ravi Shastri and Shikhar Dhawan were among the familiar faces at Lord’s as India produced a commanding batting display to post 170/4 against Australia in their must-win ICC Women’s T20 World Cup clash on Saturday.

Backed by a star-studded crowd, India finished with a flourish, scoring 36 runs in the final two overs and putting Australia under immense pressure. The Southern Stars struggled at the end, allowing India to gain momentum. Now, Australia needs to achieve the highest successful run chase in Women’s T20 World Cup history to keep India out of the semifinals.

After choosing to bat first, India got off to a confident start with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Australia’s new-ball attack failed to strike early, and the openers raced to 43 runs without losing a wicket in the powerplay.

The pair added 66 runs before Shafali was bowled for 34 in the 10th over. Jemimah Rodrigues then joined Mandhana, who found it harder to score as the field spread. A terrible mix-up in the 12th over ended Mandhana’s innings at 38 off 37 balls, bringing captain Harmanpreet Kaur to the crease.

While Jemimah struggled to find her rhythm in a shaky 34 off 28 balls, Harmanpreet quickly changed the pace, finding the boundary often as India set up for a late assault. Jemimah was retired out on 34 before the final over, clearing the way for an explosive finish.

The final over belonged to Harmanpreet. She faced off against opposing captain Sophie Molineux, hitting three consecutive sixes and reaching a stunning half-century in just 25 balls. The India skipper eventually fell for 56 off 27 balls after hitting six fours and three sixes.

Deepti Sharma then finished the innings in style by hitting the boundary off the final ball, and India ended at 170/4. Molineux took two wickets but had an expensive outing, giving away 46 runs in her four overs, including 23 in the last over.

With 170/4 on the board, India has given themselves a strong chance in a virtual quarterfinal. The bowlers now have the responsibility to defend the total and secure a place in the Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals.

–IANS

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