Jemimah Rodrigues Stars As India Beat Australia In Thrilling World Cup Semi; To Face South Africa In Final
Jemimah Rodrigues scored a brilliant 127 off 134 balls, while Harmanpreet Kaur scored 89 runs. Richa Ghosh made quickfire 26 off 16 balls.
A superb show by Jemimah Rodrigues helped India in defeating seven-time world champions Australia by five wickets in the semi-final of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup on Thursday.
Rodrigues scored a brilliant 127 off 134 balls as India successfully chased 338 with nine balls to spare in a nail-biting seesaw game at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Harmanpreet Kaur scored 89 runs, while Richa Ghosh made a quickfire 26 off 16 balls.
"Very proud. I don't have words how to express myself. Feeling great," skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said after the match. "Playing in home World Cup is special.... One more game to go and we will give our best."
Earlier, Australia skipper Alyssa Healy won the toss and chose to bat. Opener Phoebe Litchfield's 119 off 93 balls led the defending champions to a huge score of 338. This is the highest total by any team in a Women's World Cup semi-final, surpassing South Africa's 319 against England in the first semi-final of the ongoing tournament.
India will take on South Africa in the summit clash on Sunday in a bid to win the maiden title and bury the ghosts of the 2017 heartbreak against England. If India win, the victory can potentially be a seismic one for women's cricket in the country, similar to what the 1983 World Cup did for the Indian men's cricket team.
(With PTI inputs)
