India's semi-final hopes suffered a major jolt after Australia notched up a comfortable eight-wicket win, riding on a superb show by their top-order batswomen in the ICC Women's World Cup in Bristol on Wednesday.
Indian batting is prone to collapses, especially from a position of strength. Chasing 160, India were going strong at 102 for 1 but Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues's dismissals proved fatal for the visitors who collapsed to 136 all out, bringing back memories of their inexplicable surrender in the 2017 50-over World Cup final against England.
India have four wins in five games but, unfortunately for a team high on potential, it haven't looked like they have identified the brand of cricket that consistently works for it.
India suffered 18-run defeat to hosts New Zealand
Wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy smashed her way to a brilliant 133 off 115 balls with the Southern Stars piling up a massive 332 for 7.
This year a whopping 74 winners were picked for the national honours, including an unprecedented five Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratnas and 27 Arjuna awardees.
Using snatches of a cult favourite or evergreen classic in its original form for action, comedy or romance can transform the entire vibe of a scene.
Cirkus is boring and puerile, notes Sukanya Verma.
IMAGES from the first ODI played between New Zealand and India at Napier
Sushmita and her thoughts... Malaika-Gauri get together... Divyanka's ode to summer...
Defending champions Australia crushed India by 85 runs in the final to win their record fifth ICC Women's T20 World Cup title, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Sunday. Opting to bat, Australia rode on blistering half-centuries by openers Alyssa Healy (75) and Beth Mooney (78 not out) to post a huge 184 for four before their bowlers, led by Megan Schutt (4/18) and Jess Jonassen (3/20) sent India crashing for a lowly 99 in 19.1 overs.
Australia's captain Meg Lanning says her team is going into the Wt20 final against India not just to put on a good show, but win it.
The much-hyped women's exhibition IPL T20 match between Supernovas vs Trailblazers witnessed an exciting finish but failed to attract sizeable crowd at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium on a sultry Tuesday afternoon despite the presence of the world's top women cricketers.
Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney struck the highest scores in ICC Women's T20 World Cup final history as record-breaking Australia secured a famous fifth title on home soil, in Melbourne, on Sunday. A record-breaking attendance for a women's cricket match of 86,174 watched on as Australia downed first-time finalists India by 85 runs at the MCG, with the openers setting the tone for a clinical performance.
India will face their biggest challenge so far in the ICC Women's World T20 when they lock horns with a gifted Australian team in an inconsequential game, in Guyana, on Saturday.
The India captain will become the first Indian cricketer to be bestowed with the honour on three occasions.
Rodrigues, Kaur, Mandhana and Sharma were also a part of the now-defunct Kia Super League (KSL) in 2019, the ECB's domestic T20 tournament that made way for the Women's Hundred.
Smriti Mandhana hit an unbeaten century to power India to an emphatic seven-wicket victory against West Indies, in the ICC Women's 50-overs World Cup, in Taunton, on Thursday.
This was due to the fact that they had already won the Khel Ratna, the country's highest sporting honour.
The semi-final against Australia and if the Indian women are fortunate, Sunday's final will decide her place in history as a captain, though she has long secured her position in the Elysium of women's cricket, says Haresh Pandya.
The Indians are in red-hot form, but history favours England, who have won all the five WT20 matches played between the two sides, when they meet in the semi-finals of the ICC women's World Cup on Thursday.
Team India needs to ensure that the frequent middle-order collapses are not repeated in the showpiece event.
Dominant in the series-opener, the Indian women's cricket team would now look to seal the issue when it takes on South Africa in the second ODI of the three-match series
Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj said cricket has helped her deal with the adversities of life.
India suffered a 115-run loss against South Africa in the Women's World Cup in Leicester on Saturday.
India women cricket team's skipper Mithali Raj has called on her side to improve their fielding, especially catching, ahead of their much-anticipated clash against arch-rival Pakistan in the ICC Women's World Cup at County Ground, Derby, on Sunday.
The tournament turned out to be the most embarrassing for the 'Women in Blue' as they lost to the minnows twice inside a week.
Dulquer wishes his mum... Mahesh Babu spends time with Sitara... Sushmita catches up with Salman...
The Indian women's cricket team would be aiming for quick recovery from a rare setback when it takes on South Africa in the fourth Twenty20 International, where a win would give the visitors an unbeatable series lead, in Centurion, on Wednesday.
Models and designers join the cause to empower each other by posting black and white pictures!
In the lead-up to the World T20, India have hit good form, beating hosts Sri Lanka before blanking Australia A at home. What should give them additional confidence going into the opener is the wins against reigning champions West Indies and England in the warm-up matches.
Several stars were spotted visiting pandals and homes, and we bring you the pictures here.
How the stars lit up the Festival of Lights.
Unlucky to have lost the previous tie against Pakistan by just two runs via D/L method, the Indian women's cricket team will be fighting a survival battle when it takes on a strong England side at the ICC World Twenty20 in Dharamsala on Tuesday. A defeat would virtually throw the home team out of the competition and the Mithali Raj-led side would hope to put their best foot forward against the English eves. Unlike the previous edition, where India women were ousted in the group stages, they are a strong contender this time around, courtesy their recent good showing in the T20 format, including a historic 2-1 away series win over mighty Australia in January followed by the 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in the run up to the ongoing World T20. In their last match also, India could have won the tie had rains not played spoilsport.
Amit Shah digitally inaugurated the renamed Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in presence of late finance minister's family.
'We need to work on our partnerships as batters'
Meg Lanning's Australia, long the benchmark in women's cricket, will bid for a record-extending fifth T20 World Cup title after a rocky ride to their sixth final. Harmanpreet Kaur-captained India arrive at the MCG undefeated and without having bowled a ball in the rained-out semi-final against England.
A sneak peek into the lives of the prettiest faces courtesy their social media feeds!
Smriti Mandhana smashed 58 from just 34 balls but a middle order collapse saw India lose to New Zealand by 23 runs in the first T20 International.
