By performing a slog-sweep towards midwicket and scoring a six, Ellyse Perry tied the Twenty20 series between Australia and India. This moment showcased her continued and growing excellence, as well as celebrated her 300th game playing for Australia.

The 33-year-old was the highest scorer in Australia’s victory by six wickets, as they successfully chased down India’s total of 130 with one over remaining.

India’s victory by nine wickets in the first match has tied the T20 series, with one more match remaining on Tuesday.

Perry scored an unbeaten 32 runs off 21 deliveries, including two sixes and three fours. Her partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (18 off 12) for the fifth wicket helped Australia secure the victory, following a strong performance in the field to set the foundation.

Due to the potential impact of dew on bowlers during the second innings at Dr DY Patil ground in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, Alyssa Healy chose to have India bat first after winning the toss.

The team was limited to a score of 130 runs in their 20 overs, with Deepti Sharma being the highest scorer with 30 runs before being run out on the last ball. The India team struggled to maintain momentum due to frequent loss of wickets.

Georgia Wareham and Annabel Sutherland were the standout bowlers for the visiting team, each claiming two wickets and conceding 18 and 17 runs in their four overs, respectively.

Perry expressed her joy in winning and stated that it was a great comeback for their team. They had faced a tough game previously but their bowling in the first innings was exceptional. Kim Garth’s performance at the start was outstanding, as getting wickets during the power play is crucial. The chase was challenging, but they were able to finish strong.

Australia brought Garth back into the team in place of Darcie Brown, who had a rough start in the previous match and put Australia at a disadvantage. The bowler, who was born in Ireland, proved to be a good choice as she immediately proved her worth. On Friday, Shafali Verma scored an impressive 64 runs, but unfortunately was out for just one run on the 10th ball of the innings. Garth, who took two wickets for 27 runs, then got rid of the dangerous Jeminah Rodrigues for 13 runs, leaving India at a score of two for 20 after four overs.

Smriti Mandhana hit Garth for a six in her third over, but the opener was caught by Perry at deep midwicket for 23 when attempting to do it again.

Australia kept getting crucial wickets at opportune moments. Healy’s use of the DRS resulted in two lbw decisions for Wareham, while Sutherland’s change of pace confused Amanjot Kaur.

The only blemish on the performance occurred when Garth failed to catch Shreyanka Patil in the final over, preventing Megan Schutt (with zero runs given for 29 balls) from achieving her 131st wicket in T20 international matches, leaving her tied with Pakistan’s Nida Dar.

Australia had a strong beginning, scoring 51 runs without losing any wickets in the first seven overs. It came as a shock when Healy was caught at deep mid-on after scoring 26 runs in just 21 balls. Her fellow opener, Beth Mooney, was dismissed two overs later by Sharma, with a score of 20 runs off 29 balls.

Tahlia McGrath was dismissed for 19 runs off 21 balls after being caught behind, and when Gardner was caught for seven, India started to see a glimmer of hope as Australia’s score was at four for 99 with 34 runs needed from 26 balls. However, Perry quickly dashed that hope.

Source: theguardian.com