India Women made the most of their only warm-up fixture ahead of the highly anticipated multi-format series against Australia, registering a five-wicket victory over the Governor General’s XI in Sydney on Friday. The win offered valuable match practice and confidence just days before the opening T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Opting to field a near full-strength XI, India looked sharp across departments and completed the chase with 15 balls to spare, underlining their readiness for the challenging series that lies ahead.
Chasing a modest target of 121, India never appeared under serious pressure on a good batting surface. While the required rate remained comfortable throughout, the visitors did endure a brief wobble late in the powerplay. While Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 36 and Rodrigues departed for 2, India slipped from a stable position to lose two wickets in the space of five balls.
Experienced campaigners Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh both got starts but fell to lapses in concentration, scoring 26 and 18 respectively. However, the Governor General’s XI were unable to capitalise further.
A decisive 45-run partnership between Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma, who finished unbeaten on 23, ensured India remained firmly in control and cruised to victory.
For the hosts, Lucy Hamilton impressed with the ball, returning tidy figures of 1/12 from three overs, while Tess Flintoff was equally economical with 1/5 from two overs.
Earlier, Governor General’s XI captain Charli Knott won the toss and chose to bat, but the decision backfired as her side lost both openers inside the powerplay. Knott herself and fellow opener Georgia Voll were dismissed early, setting the tone for a difficult innings.
India’s bowlers maintained relentless pressure through the middle overs, with Arundhati Reddy delivering a particularly impressive spell. The seamer conceded very little and finished with figures of 2/15 from four overs, leaving the hosts struggling at 52/6.
The Governor General’s XI found some resistance through a spirited 52-run partnership between Alana King (17) and Sianna Ginger, the latter producing an eye-catching unbeaten 40 off 31 balls, which included three towering sixes.
A boundary off the final delivery from Chloe Ainsworth lifted the hosts to 120/8 from 20 overs, but it was a total that always seemed below par against India’s experienced batting line-up.
Adding a unique touch to the occasion, Corporal Frances Whittaker of the Australian Defence Force, named as the team’s nominated 12th player, took the field as a substitute and was involved late in the innings.
