India’s Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 journey ended with a loss to Australia in their last group-stage match. India entered the match in a do-or-die situation, needing a win to progress to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front with a blistering half-century, while openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma laid a solid platform as India posted a competitive 170/4. Chasing 171, Australia Women displayed their trademark composure and batting depth. India restricted Australia to 72/3 in 10 overs. From there, a 100-run partnership between Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner helped the Aussies roar back from 68/3.
Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar said the loss to South Africa in an earlier match had virtually knocked India out of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
“The Indian women losing to Australia wasn’t a big surprise, but it didn’t make the day any better (with India’s men’s team losing to Ireland). They should have beaten South Africa, but so abysmal was their fielding against them that they lost from a good position and were virtually out of the tournament with that loss,” Gavaskar wrote in Sportstar.
However, Gavaskar wondered whether the Indian players were 100 per cent fit.
“It’s tough to comment from this distance, but the question that most cricket lovers would ask is: did we play all fit players, or were there some who weren’t 100%? Playing a player who isn’t fully fit is understandable if that player is an impact player capable of delivering, even if not fully fit. Otherwise, it suggests that the reserve players are not good enough to take the injured player’s place. Hopefully, I am completely wrong, but to see players playing with bandaged fingers does give the impression that they are carrying an injury, even if it may be a minor one,” he wrote.
“The other aspect that was noticeable is that, despite the 50-over win and the other matches where runs against the spinners were regularly taken over extra cover, there was no attempt to cover that gap with a fielder and make the batters attempt lofted shots with an open face of the bat.”
