'Everyone had written us off': Inside the Aussies' comeback

Moments after Australia sealed their place in a seventh consecutive T20 World Cup final, Alyssa Healy summoned all 11 players on field into a huddle.

The reigning champions had just seen off India by five runs in a semi-final thriller, somehow managing to once again pull a rabbit out of a hat – or perhaps to simply remain calm in the chaos – and see off another stern challenge from Harmanpreet Kaur’s team.

After the usual hugs and pats on the back, the Australian vice-captain got her teammates to form a tight circle, as she took a moment to acknowledge what they had achieved with the odds stacked against them.

"Alyssa Healy brought us together and was saying there's a few people who may have thought that we coasted through the group stage in the World Cup, but today's effort proved that we could get the job done, whatever way," Jess Jonassen said following the game.

"We had our backs against the wall, we were down and out for a large part of that bowling innings.

"But to come through at the end with the result in our favour just showed the resilience of that group and the belief that's within, and that goes a really long way."

Meg Lanning labelled it one of the best wins she had been involved in; not because Australia played their best, but because of the way they fought when their backs were against the wall on a day where they were below their best.

India at one stage needed 41 off 34 with six wickets in hand and with Kaur flying on 52 off 32 despite having been ill with a fever in the lead-up to the match.

Ashleigh Gardner agreed with her captain’s assessment, pointing to Australia’s never-say-die attitude as a determining factor.

"I think at the 10-over mark in India's batting innings, everyone had probably written us off, but I think that just shows our character within our side and that's why the best teams win in those types of positions," Gardner said.

"I know that's what we speak about, is when our backs are up against the wall, we always try and find a way and today we probably had no right to win at one point there.

"They were cruising and then we found a way to get some wickets and ultimately came out on top.

"I think we showed our class today in the field and we always speak about as a group being the best fielding team in the world, and I think today really showed that.

"Ellyse Perry was elite on the boundary, she probably saved six runs herself.

"We scrapped, we fought really hard right to the end, and I think ultimately that was probably the difference between the two sides."

From a position of strength, India lost 4-34 to finish five runs shy of a berth in Sunday’s final.

It was not as dramatic as their collapse of 8-34 against Australia in last year’s Commonwealth Games final, nor as dramatic as the 7-28 they lost against England in the 2017 World Cup final.

But once again Kaur and India were left to wonder what might have been in a major tournament.

Kaur was circumspect when she faced reporters following the match, but her emotions were clear during the final five overs of the game, first she flung her bat more than 10 metres across the Newlands outfield after she was run out, then was seen in tears on the bench as the game slipped away.

"It is disappointing because according to the momentum of the match and the way we were playing cricket, we shouldn't have lost like this," Kaur said.

"Because from the Australian team's body language, it looked like they gave up the match.

"But the moment I got out, the moment the momentum shifted from India to Australia, I personally felt it was a turning point.

"Otherwise, I think we played good cricket … in the end, after coming so close, we could have batted with more responsibility and with a positive approach.

"But otherwise, if you look at it, there are a lot of positives ... whatever happens now, we can only accept and from here we have to just keep moving forward."