After India made a steady start through Mandhana and Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet took charge in the closing stages, smashing an unbeaten 56 off just 26 deliveries, including three consecutive sixes in the final over, to give India a strong total in their must-win encounter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Praising her captain\u2019s innings, Mandhana said Harmanpreet\u2019s late acceleration helped India reach the score they had targeted before the start of the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHarman did really well to get us to 170. This is the score we were looking at at the start. The way she batted, especially in the last over, it was a brilliant knock by her,\u201d Mandhana said during the innings break.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mandhana also felt the Lord\u2019s surface was not the easiest to bat on and believed India\u2019s total was around par despite the late flourish.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t an easy wicket. We felt 170 was a good score and probably around par. The pace bowlers didn\u2019t get a lot of assistance at the start, but anything straight down the ground was a good option,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier, Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided India with a solid start, adding 66 runs for the opening wicket. Shafali scored 34 before being dismissed by Australia captain Sophie Molineux, while Mandhana made 38 from 37 deliveries, striking six boundaries before being run out following a mix-up with Jemimah Rodrigues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked about the unfortunate dismissal, Mandhana chose not to dwell on the incident.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier, Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided India with a solid start, adding 66 runs for the opening wicket. Shafali scored 34 before being dismissed by Australia captain Sophie Molineux, while Mandhana made 38 from 37 deliveries, striking six boundaries before being run out following a mix-up with Jemimah Rodrigues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India will now look to defend 170 and secure a place in the semi-finals, while Australia, already through to the knockout stage, needs 171 runs for their fifth successive victory in the tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n