Harris, Gardner's massive stand fuels dominant win

Australia have capped off their T20I tour of India in style, with an extraordinary partnership from Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris followed by a Heather Graham hat-trick setting up an emphatic 54-run win

Gardner (66no off 32) and Harris (64 off 35) put an a staggering display of timing and power at Brabourne Stadium to guide Australia to 4-196, their highest total of the series.

Image Id: E4136D298C384F8D8D7D26C914E9717C Image Caption: Ashleigh Gardner brought up her half-century off 26 deliveries // Getty

Graham then picked up 4-8, including a hat-trick spread across two overs, as India were bowled out for 142 on the final ball of the innings, sealing a 4-1 result in the Australia's favour.

The allrounder, playing just her third T20I, removed Devika Vaidya (11) and Radha Yadav (0) in the 13th over, then returned to bowl Renuka Thakur with the first ball of the final over.

Graham is the second Australian woman to take a T20I hat-trick. The first, Megan Schutt, achieved the feat at the same venue in 2018.

Image Id: 2179D70050EB4DB0B6CDACC3E6EDE9DD Image Caption: Two hat-tricks between Megan Schutt and Heather Graham at Brabourne Stadium // cricket.com.au

The five-game tour, spread across two venues in Mumbai, was bookended by dominant Australian wins, with the intervening matches decided by a Super Over (in India's favour), and victories to the tourists by 21 and seven runs.

Australia were 4-72 as Harris and Gardner came together in the 10th over of the innings.

What followed was carnage; the power pair smashing 129 runs off the final 10.2 overs at a rate of 12.64.

Harris's first international fifty came off 28 balls, Gardner following shortly after as her own half-century came off just 26 deliveries.

Gardner cleared the rope just once but was punishing along the ground hitting 11 fours; Harris smacked four sixes and six fours; both batters capitalising on an India attack thrown off their game after a strong start that had removed Australia's top four without significant damage.

Sent in by India for a fourth consecutive match, Beth Mooney was joined by fellow left-hander Phoebe Litchfield at the top of the order in place of the injured Alyssa Healy.

But the new-look opening partnership was broken in seven balls into the match, when Mooney chopped on for two advancing to Anjali Sarvani.

Litchfield's first boundary in international cricket came via a picture-perfect straight drive.

But after No.3 Tahlia McGrath faced a maiden from Renuka, and Litchfield failed to score off the next two deliveries from Deepti Sharma, frustration and a well-flighted slower ball brought about her undoing, as she was stumped for 11.

McGrath got going with two maximums but her first innings as Australia skipper ended when she was stumped on 26 off 26, and while Ellyse Perry (18) cut to the boundary first ball, she was denied a third consecutive half-century when she holed out to long-on in the 10th over.

Australia's attack, led by the fresh new-ball pairing of Darcie Brown and Kim Garth, then made regular inroads as India were bowled out for 142.

Image Id: 15CB58DFE81740EF9BEEBAA497E3A285 Image Caption: Darcie Brown struck first for the Aussies, removing Smriti Mandhana // Getty

Brown got the wicket of Smriti Mandhana (4) in the first over when the left-hander clipped a ball off her toes straight to Harris at square leg.

Shafali Verma (13) holed out in the deep to Gardner, and while Harleen Doel made a positive start after being promoted to No.3, a mix-up saw her run out for a 16-ball 24.

When Harmanpreet Kaur (12) was trapped lbw and Richa Ghosh (10) was superbly caught on the rope by Graham, India were in all sorts at 5-70.

Sharma gave the strong crowd something to cheer about late with an unbeaten 34-ball 53, but India finished well adrift of their target of 198.

Graham was backed up by Gardner who was again brilliant taking 2-20 off her four overs.

Australia now close the book on a 2022 that saw them win both the one-day World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold, alongside bilateral series against England and India, and a tri-series against Ireland and Pakistan.

 

Image Id: 3DE51EA9089F43B08EC874BD4A68D693 Image Caption: Heather Graham celebrates her first hat-trick // Getty

 

From 29 matches across all formats, they won 24, drew one (the sole Test, against England) and had three no results, while the only defeat came in this series against India, when they lost the second match of the series in a Super Over.

The Aussie squad will fly home on Wednesday, with their next engagement an ODI and T20I series spread across Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart and Canberra in January, ahead of the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February.

KAYO MINI: India v Australia, Game 5

Australia's T20I tour of India 

1st T20I: Australia won by 9 wickets

2nd T20I: Match tied (India won the Super Over)

3rd T20I: Australia won by 21 runs

4th T20I: Australia won by seven runs

5th T20I: Australia won by 54 runs

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Devika Vaidya, S Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol