Watch: Harmanpreet Kaur Throws Away Her Bat In Frustration After Bizarre Run Out

India got another heartbreak on Thursday night as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side faced a five-run defeat against Australia in the semi-final match of the Women's T20 World Cup. Opted to bat first, Australia posted a huge total of 172/4 in 20 overs after Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning smashed 54 and 49* runs respectively. Later, Team India lost three wickets within four overs but Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues brought a ray of hope for their side. However, India fell short by five runs and Australia stormed into their seventh straight final in the history of the Women's T20 World Cups.

In the entire match, one moment which proved to be a game-changer was the bizarre run out of Harmanpreet Kaur. In the 15th over of India's chase, Harmanpreet Kaur ran for a single on Georgia Wareham's delivery. She completed a single but while coming back for the second one, her bat got stuck in the middle and she failed to make it back to the crease. Wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy made no mistake and removed the bails as the Indian skipper departed for 52. 

Harmanpreet's dismissal left her disappointed as she walked away angrily towards the dugout. A similar reaction was captured from the other teammates as everyone was left in shock.

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Coming to the match, India's shoddy fielding and catching allowed Australia to post a challenging 172 for four after Meg Lanning opted to bat in the semifinal. 

At 28 for three, India were down and out but Harmanpreet (52 off 34) and Jemimah Rodrigues (43 off 24) produced a counter-attacking 69-run stand off just 41 balls to bring the team back in the game.

India needed a very gettable 39 off last 30 balls with five wickets in hand but as it has been the case in the past, the team came up short to finish at 167 for eight.

India had lost to five-time champions Australia in the previous World Cup final and more recently in the CWG final last year.

Another loss in a knock out game extended India's long wait for a world title.

(With PTI Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Women Australia Women Harmanpreet Kaur Meg Lanning ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 Cricket