India maintain clean slate as Australia are beaten by 48 runs

Smriti Mandhana en route her 83 against Australia on Saturday. Pic/ICC

India maintained their winning run in the group stage of the ICC Women's World T20 with a thumping 48-run victory over Australia at Providence Stadium here on Saturday. Riding on Smriti Mandhana's career-best 83, India posted a competitive 167 for 8 in their 20 overs in a Group B match.

Australia, in their reply, managed to put up only 119 in 19.4 overs. Ellyse Perry was the only Australian batswoman to get going with 39 runs off 28 balls. Anuja Patil claimed three wickets while her teammates Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav and Poonam Yadav picked two wickets each.

Earlier, Mandhana blasted nine fours and three sixes in her 55-ball 83-run innings to anchor the Indian innings. She also became the second fastest India to compete 1000 runs in T20 internationals after Mithali Raj during her innings. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur too produced a strokeful 27-ball 43 studded with three sixes and as many fours to share a 68-run partnership for the third wicket with Mandhana. India, however, lost a bit of ground in the end following the quick wickets of Veda Krishnamurthy and Dayalan Hemalatha within a space of four balls.

Mandhana gave India a good start after her fellow opening batsman Taniya Bhatia (2) was dismissed in the second over, being caught by Meg Lanning at midwicket off Ashleigh Gardner's ball. Mandhana then stepped up and picked up a boundary each in the next two overs to keep the score ticking.

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