India vs Australia, as it happened: Hosts out of final contention after 36-run loss

Hat-trick hero Megan Schutt is the Player of the Match for her 3/31, and she goes on to say that she didn’t know that she was on a hat-trick when she dismissed Deepti Sharma. Well either way, she is now only the second Australia, male or female, to get a T20I hat-trick. Quite a feat to continue her team’s domination over the hosts on this India tour.

“We gave too many runs extra, when it comes to batting we gave away too many wickets and didn’t utilise the first six overs. It’s a learning curve for us” says India captain Harmanpreet post match.

Australia win by 36 runs. India are out of the final after their third straight loss in the series. This means that it will be an England vs Australia final, with the next two round-robin matches merely practice.

That’s the 50-run partnership off only 37 balls between Anuja Patil and Pooja Vastrakar on the penultimate ball of the match. Small joys.

End of Over 19: The highlight of that over from Perry? A superb direct hit from the third man region to stop a quick single. When India need 51 off the last 6 balls. Commitment.

End of Over 18: A good over for the fans who have come to cheer as Patil and Vastrakar get three boundaries off Jonassen to take 14 off the over. India 130/5 with 2 overs to go.

End of Over 17: Schutt bowls her first over of the match that doesn’t get a wicket. Only five runs though, India 116/5, just for the record, the required run rate is a fun 23.

End of Over 16: Nine runs and a boundary off the last ball off the over from Kimmince. India 111/5

End of Over 15: The 100 comes up for India as Patil and Vastrakar try to get their feet in. A lifeline from the teen as she is dropped by Perry, but that won’t count for much given the required rate of almost 17. Only 5 runs off the over from Jonassen, India 102/5.

Wicket! 4. 1. 4. 6. OUT.

Harmanpreet decided to target Gardner and goes big to get 14 runs in the over, including the innings’ first six. But those who live by the slogs, perish by it as well... The next ball after the 6 is an awkward heave and it goes straight to the fielder at deep mid-wicket. The captain is out for 33 off 30, India 97/5 after 14 with two new batters on crease.

Wicket! And thus ends Rodrigues’s fighting knock on 50 off 41 balls. Tries to force the pace of the innings with more attacking shots but ends up chipping straight to Schutt at long-off. Kimmice gets her first wicket, India 82/4 after 13.

Fifty for Jemimah Rodrigues!

The first international half-century for the 17-year-old, and she gets there with a superb boundary. She also becomes the youngest Indian to score a T20I fifty. This also brings up the 50-run partnership between the Rodrigues and Harmanpreet. India 77/3 after 12.

End of Over 11: The match may well be a lost cause but at least Rodrigues is showing her range with some good shots. Another four off the last ball of the over from the teen, this one smacked through extra-cover. India 72/3

End of Over 10: Perry bowls an excellent over giving away only 3 till Rodrigues creams a neat boundary through third man on the last ball. Seven runs off that over, India are 65/3 at the halfway mark. That is nowhere close to enough, of course.

End of over 9: Ash Gardner in the attack and goes for 9 as the 50 comes up for India. Rodrigues gets a good boundary in the over, India will need a lot more of those though. India 58/2.

End of Over 8: The required run rate is close to 12, even as Rodrigues and Harmanpreet try to rebuild slow and steady. Only 7 off that over, India 49/3.

End of Over 7: Wellington in the attack and goes for seven with the only four coming off a low full-toss to Harmanpreet. India 42/3

End of over 6: The Powerplay period is clearly won by Australia with 3 big wickets, while India score 35.

Meanwhile, Rodrigues is going for her shots and gets a four off the first ball, but is lucky to get a lifeline when Villani drops a sitter off Perry. With she and Harmanpreet being the last real hope for India in this chase, they will need to be a lot more circumspect with risky shots.

Hat-trick for Schutt! She is the first Australian to take a hat-trick in women’s T20Is

Deepti Sharma tries to loft it inside out, but without any power or bat on it. The chipped shot sails to Wellington at mid-off and she takes an easy catch. That was cakewalk of a hat-trick in the end, but very well-deserved after the first two dismissals. And that is probably the match for Australia as well. India 29/3 after 5 overs.

End of Over 4: Interesting bowling changes from Lanning as Kimmince is given the ball instead of Schutt, who is on a hat-trick. A mis-fielded boundary early on, but a good over with only 6 off it. India 26/2.

End of Over 3: Deepti Sharma is in next, but it is Rodrigues’s nemesis, Ellyse Perry, who has been given the ball by Lanning. the short ball does come out, but the teen just pulls it for two. Five runs off that over, India 20/2.

Wicket and Wicket! This is a massive over for the match, Mandhana bowled on only 3, followed by Mithali Raj on the very next ball.

Schutt comes in from the other end and is hit for back-to-back boundaries straight down the ground by Rodrigues.

But Schutt responds by castling Mandhana on the penultimate ball of the over in a rather strange dismissal. The ball ricochets off her back pad to roll on to the stumps. But there is nothing strange about the ball to Raj, who plays it weakly to drag it into the stumps.

India are 15/2 and it has only been 2 overs.

End of Over 1: Jonassen on target right away, giving away only five runs despite starting with a wide. India 5/0.

Time for India’s chase...

And what do we have here? Jemimah Rodrigues comes in to open with Smriti Mandhana. Didn’t get a chance to bat yesterday in India’s 198, she now takes Mithali Raj’s place at the top of the order.
Spinner Jess Jonassen with the new ball.

India set a target of 187 to win. Not an impossible one, given how 199 was chased down on the same pitch yesterday. But one that should have been much lower after getting two wickets in the Powerplay.

Over to the Indian batting lineup, which was a big positive against England. But with a required run rate of almost 10, it will be important to keep the scoreboard pressure at bay from the outset.

Wicket! Radha Yadav gets her first international wicket and it that of Ellyse Perry. Quite a memorable one right?
On the first ball of the last over, Perry goes high and it comes straight down to the long-on boundary where Mandhana holds on the second attempt very close to the ropes. Umpire takes a second look but it looks good and that is the fifth wicket for India. Australia finish the innings on 186/5.

Wicket! Goswami gets her first wicket in her last over as Beth Mooney’s superb knock comes to an end on 71 off 46. A fuller ball, Mooney lofts it without getting too much weight behind it, goes to deep mid-wicket where Rodrigues takes her second, running catch. Aus 175/4 with one over to go. Perry in next.

End of over 18: Anuja Patil back for her last over and gives away two boundaries with Lanning getting into the act as well. 12 runs off it, Aus 168/3 with 2 overs to go.

End of Over 17: Radha Yadav gets her third over and bowls her best one yet, giving away no boundaries. 7 runs off it, Aus 156/3 after 17.

Wicket! India finally have a breakthrough, even though it might have come a little too late. Poonam Yadav gives her width, Villani tries to go across, but doesn’t get the distance and Jemimah Rodrigues holds on to a good, running catch at deep mid-wicket. Villani walk back on 61 off 42, Australia 149/3 after 16. Lanning the new batter in.

End of Over 15: Now that is an eventful over!
Goswami back into the attack and her first delivery is called a no-ball because there were more only three fielders inside the ring.

A four off the free-hit brings up the fifty for Ellyse Villani, her 10th in T20Is off only 35 balls. She follows it up with two more boundaries and that is the 100-run partnership between the two as well, off just 64 balls.. This has been a lesson in building a partnership in the shortest format.

Well, and then there is Mooney’s half-century as well, with two on the last ball of the over. She takes 35 balls as well as Australia continue the plunder. 141/2 with 5 overs to go.

End of Over 14: Poonam in the attack again, but none of the spinners seem to trouble the set partnership. 11 runs off that over as the tired-looking Mooney and Villani continue to find the gaps. Aus 124/2.

Their partnership is now the best for Australia this series.

End of Over 13: Well, it seems like it was a change of ends for Radha, who replaces Poonam. A much better line from her but still goes for 9, Aus 113/2.

End of Over 12: Patil replaces Radha Yadav after just one over, but the runs still flowing easy for the visitors. Only one boundary in the over but the singles are swift as always. 11 runs in that over, Aus 104/2 in 12 overs.

End of Over 11: A boundary an over still does the trick for Australia as Poonam Yadav goes for 9 runs. Aus 93/2.

End of Over 10: 17-year-old Radha Yadav comes in for her first over of the series and is taken for 12 runs. This also brings up the 50-run partnership between Mooney and Villani, 55 of only 38 balls. At the halfway mark, Aus are cruising at 84/2.

End of Over 9: Poonam Yadav comes in to replace Patil and bowls an over without a single boundary! Just 6 runs off it, Australia 72/2.

End of Over 8: Deepti Sharma into the attack but the boundaries keep coming for Australia. 14 runs off that over with three fours, the best in the innings so far. Aus 66/2.

End of Over 7: Six runs of Patil’s over again, but the boundary comes nonetheless. Aus 52/2

End of Over 6: The Powerplay period brings 46 runs for Australia, and two wickets for India. A wonderful spell of 3-0-28-3 for Vastrakar, but India still have conceded too many boundaries early. On a pitch that is very batting-friendly, Indian spinners will need to focus on containing the boundary balls.

End of Over 5: Anuja Patil into the attack and goes for 6, neat line. Aus 35/2 heading into the last over of Powerplay.

Wicket! The teenager strikes again, and how. Ash Garnder is bowled out for 17. Hit for a cracking boundary on the previous ball, Vastrakar responds with a peach of a delivery and the sweet sound of crashing timber follows. Right into the gap, swings late and Gardner can’t do anything about, she walks back on 17 off 10, Australia 29/2 after 4.

End of Over 3: Gardner gets back-to-back boundaries after two straight dot balls off Goswami, a close call on fifth ball but she survives. 9 runs of the over, Aus 21/1

Wicket! Pooja Vastrakar, from the other end, gets hit back-to-back boundaries.
But a great recovery from the youngster as Healy tries to go for the third on a fuller delivery, but mistimes it to mid-off. Safe catch from Rodrigies who had to cover some ground and India have their first success very early, Aus 12/1 at the end of the second over, Healy out on 9 off 8. Ash Gardner the next batter in.

End of Over 1: A good over from the experienced Goswami, right on the money and gives away only three runs. Good response from the field as well. Aus 3/0, India’s best start this series with the ball.

Here we go... Jhulan Goswami with the new ball, Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy to open for Australia.

Toss Time: India win the toss and have elected to bowl first. One major change for the hosts, spinner Radha Yadav comes in for batter Veda Krishnamurthy. Captain Meg Lanning is back for Australia as well as Amanda Jade-Wellington.

09:25 pm: Hello all and welcome to the live blog of the fourth match of the T20I tri-series as India take on Australia in less than 24 hours after their defeat at the hands of England, despite posting their highest ever total in the format. India are are yet to win after returning from South Africa, and if there is any chance of the team making it to the final in this series, they need a win today.