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Australia ride Perry's unbeaten 72 to take unassailable series lead
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur's counter-attacking 46 and Richa Ghosh's 19-ball unbeaten 40 gave the hosts a sniff and more, but the target of 189 proved too stiff.
Ellyse Perry's unbeaten 72 did just enough for Australia to eke out a seven-run win against India in the fourth T20I at Brabourne Stadium that gave the visitors an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur's counter-attacking 46 and Richa Ghosh's 19-ball unbeaten 40 gave the hosts a sniff and more, but the target of 189 proved too stiff.
More so after Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues’s starts had been clipped. At 49/3 in seven overs, India were up against it. Harmanpreet though was equally up for the challenge. In Heather Graham's 17-run 13th over, she brilliantly dissected the field for four fours. With Devika Vaidya also finding the ropes, India were well in it at 119/3 after 14.
That’s when leggie Alana King got Harmanpreet top-edging her sweep to short fine leg. Out came Richa Ghosh and off she went with two fours. Needing 56 off the last four, Ghosh was dropped by Tahlia McGrath and two overs later hit consecutive sixes to take it to 20 off the last. But with Deepti Sharma on strike and Megan Schutt keeping it full, it was a bridge too far despite Sharma getting a couple of boundaries. Earlier, after the early introduction of Deepti Sharma sent Beth Mooney back, a set Alyssa Healy pulled her calf and retired hurt on 30 at the end of the powerplay. With McGrath too gone, Australia were in a spot of bother at 51/2, effectively three down.
After the spinners applied the squeeze, it was released when Harmanpreet chose to inject pace again and Perry and Ashleigh Gardner (42 and 2/20) picked up three fours and 14 runs off the 12th over by Renuka Singh.
From that over to the 16th, Australia pocketed more than 10 every over, Perry showing her range with sweeps, cuts and her dancing feet while bringing up her fifty off 32 balls.
Deepti had Gardner holed out at long-on for 42 to end the 94-run stand. But with Grace Harris stroking the finishing touches in a 12-ball 27* and Perry signing off with a couple of last-over sixes, Australia got 49 in the final four overs.
