Third T20I, Adelaide
India 176-6 (20 overs): Mandhana 82 (55); Sutherland 2-34
Australia 159-9 (20 overs): Gardner 57 (45); Patil 3-22
India won by 17 runs; win three-match series 2-1
Australia endured their first bilateral series defeat at home in nine years after India secured a 17-run victory in the third and final women’s T20I in Adelaide, sealing the three-match contest 2-1.
Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues both registered half-centuries, combining for a 121-run stand for the second wicket — India’s highest partnership for that wicket in T20Is — as the visitors posted 176-6 from their 20 overs.
In reply, Australia slipped to 32-3 early in the chase. Off-spinner Shreyanka Patil removed Georgia Voll and Ellyse Perry to put the hosts under pressure, although Ash Gardner responded with a 45-ball 57 to keep the contest alive.
Sophie Molineux’s first series as Australia captain ended in defeat, with Patil returning figures of 3-22. She was supported by left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who claimed 3-28 to help close out the win.
India had earlier taken the opening T20I by 21 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in a rain-affected match, before Australia levelled the series with a 19-run victory to force a decider in Adelaide.
The teams now move on to a three-match ODI series, beginning in Brisbane on Tuesday, followed by a standalone Test in Perth from 6 March.
