India Bowlers Do Well Against Australia in First T20 Game

In the first women's T20 cricket match, India's bowlers performed very well. They took wickets early and kept Australia's score low. Australia finished with 127 runs. India will now try to score more runs to win the game.
By Newsroom | Cricket, Australia |

The opening T20 International between Australia and India in Sydney has seen India's bowlers assert significant control, reducing the Australian side to a precarious position early in their innings. India, having won the toss and elected to bowl, capitalized on their decision, with key Australian batters falling within the first 10 overs. This strategic advantage sets a compelling stage for the remainder of the match and the ensuing series.

Match Details and Series Context

The first match of the three-game T20 International series between Australia Women and India Women took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The series marks the Indian women's team's initial T20 engagement of the year and is part of their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. India enters the series ranked third globally in T20I cricket, while Australia, the hosts, hold the top position. This fixture continues a long-standing and often intense rivalry between the two national teams.

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Australia v India: women’s T20 cricket international – live - 1

  • Date: February 15, 2026

  • Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

  • Toss: India Women won the toss and elected to bowl.

  • Umpires: Kim Cotton, Phillip Gillespie

  • Third Umpire: Eloise Sheridan

  • Referee: Kent Hannam

Team Lineups

India Women:

  • Smriti Mandhana

  • Shafali Verma

  • Jemimah Rodrigues

  • Harmanpreet Kaur (c)

  • Richa Ghosh (wk)

  • Deepti Sharma

  • Arundhati Reddy

  • Shreyanka Patil

  • Kranti Gaud

  • Shree Charani

  • Renuka Thakur

Australia Women:

  • Beth Mooney (wk)

  • Georgia Voll

  • Phoebe Litchfield

  • Ellyse Perry

  • Ashleigh Gardner

  • Georgia Wareham

  • Annabel Sutherland

  • Nicola Carey

  • Sophie Molineux (c)

  • Kim Garth

  • Darcie Brown

Early Wicket Barrage

India's bowlers made an immediate impact after Australia began their innings. The visitors achieved a significant breakthrough by dismissing half of the Australian side before the 10-over mark.

  • Beth Mooney, the wicket-keeper batter, was the first to depart, caught by Smriti Mandhana off the bowling of Renuka Singh Thakur at 22 runs in the 2.4th over.

  • Georgia Voll followed shortly after, caught by Richa Ghosh off Kranti Gaud's bowling, with the score at 27 runs in the 3.2nd over.

  • Ellyse Perry was dismissed for 20 runs, caught by Harmanpreet Kaur off Arundhati Reddy's bowling, reducing Australia to 68 for 3 in the 7.2nd over.

  • Ashleigh Gardner fell next, caught by Harmanpreet Kaur off Deepti Sharma's bowling, making it 78 for 4 in the 8.4th over.

  • Phoebe Litchfield was dismissed for 26 runs, caught by Richa Ghosh off Arundhati Reddy's bowling, at 80 for 5 in the 9.1st over.

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This rapid succession of wickets severely disrupted Australia's batting order and momentum.

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Australian Resilience and Middle Order Contribution

Despite the early collapse, Australia managed to post a competitive total of 127 for 7 in their allotted 15.3 overs. Key contributions came from the middle and lower order.

  • Georgia Wareham top-scored for Australia with 30 runs off 19 deliveries, including four boundaries.

  • Phoebe Litchfield added 26 runs from 19 balls, featuring five boundaries.

  • Ellyse Perry contributed 20 runs from 11 balls, hitting four boundaries.

  • Nicola Carey made 12 runs from 12 balls.

  • Annabel Sutherland and captain Sophie Molineux remained unbeaten on 3 runs each.

Bowling Efforts for India

Arundhati Reddy was the most successful bowler for India, claiming three wickets for 19 runs in three overs.

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  • Renuka Singh Thakur took one wicket for 13 runs in 3.3 overs.

  • Kranti Gaud secured one wicket for 39 runs in three overs.

  • Deepti Sharma also took one wicket for 19 runs in two overs.

  • Shree Charani contributed with one wicket for 12 runs in two overs.

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The tight bowling and effective fielding by India were instrumental in restricting Australia's scoring potential throughout their innings.

Expert Analysis and Key Moments

The match unfolded with India's tactical decision to bowl first paying dividends, leveraging their bowling attack to exploit the conditions and put early pressure on Australia's top order.

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"India's bowlers were on the mark from the start. They exploited the conditions and didn't allow Australia to settle. Arundhati Reddy's spell was particularly crucial in building that pressure."

The fall of wickets at regular intervals prevented any significant partnerships from consolidating, a hallmark of successful T20 batting.

"Losing five wickets inside 10 overs is a significant setback for any team, especially against a strong opponent like India. Australia's middle order showed some fight, but the damage was already done."

Conclusion and Future Implications

India has established a strong initial position in the first T20I, successfully restricting Australia to 127 runs and taking seven wickets. The focus now shifts to India's batting lineup to chase down this target. The performance highlights the effectiveness of India's bowling strategy and the challenges Australia faced in building a substantial total. The result of this match will significantly influence the momentum for the remainder of the three-match series.

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  • Key Outcome: India's bowlers delivered a strong performance, limiting Australia to 127/7.

  • Significance: This early advantage positions India favorably to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

  • Next Steps: India will now aim to successfully chase the target, while Australia will look to defend their score and apply pressure through their bowling attack.

Sources Used:

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who won the cricket match?
The match is still going on. India's bowlers did very well to stop Australia from scoring a lot of runs.
Q: How many runs did Australia score?
Australia scored 127 runs and lost 7 players.
Q: Who was the best bowler for India?
Arundhati Reddy took 3 wickets for India.
Q: What happens next?
India will now try to score more than 127 runs to win the game.