India Women suffered a heartbreaking 3-wicket defeat to Australia Women in the 13th match of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, despite posting a formidable
330.
Smriti Mandhana's brilliant 80 off 66 balls and Pratika Rawal's steady 75 laid a strong foundation, with late acceleration from Jemimah Rodrigues (33 off 21) and Richa Ghosh (32 off 22) taking India to an imposing total. However, frequent middle-order stumbles prevented the score from crossing 350. Annabel Sutherland was the destroyer with the ball for Australia, claiming 5/40.
Defending the target, India's bowlers struggled to contain Australian skipper Alyssa Healy, who played a match-winning 142 off 107 balls, dominating the chase from the start. Even after Shree Charani's double strike and Deepti Sharma's breakthroughs gave India hope by reducing Australia to 303/7, they could not finish the job. Ellyse Perry's composed 47* and Kim Garth's late cameo ensured Australia got home with one over to spare.
The loss will sting for India, as it was a golden chance to defeat one of the tournament heavyweights after setting a big total. Defensive bowling plans in the middle overs, expensive spells from key bowlers, and the inability to dismiss Healy early proved costly.
India Semifinal Qualification Scenario
With the defeat, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team have now suffered consecutive defeats in the Women's World Cup, which has put them in a tricky situation. India are still placed 3rd in the points table, with 4 points after 4 matches. As the top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, it will be pivotal for the Indian team to get back to winning ways.
With the way England Women and Australia Women are performing, they are likely to claim the top two positions. India, in order to qualify for the semis, will have to get at least two wins out of their last three matches.
India's Women's WC Matches
vs England - Oct 19
vs New Zealand - Oct 23
vs Bangladesh - Oct 26
3 Wins
If India win all of their remaining three matches, they will end up with 10 points and thus easily qualify for the semis.
2 Wins
If India beat England and New Zealand, they are likely to stamp their spot in the semis. Even if India lose to England, they will have to beat both New Zealand and Bangladesh to qualify for the knockouts. As each team plays seven matches in the group stages, a cut-off of 8 points can be considered for a semifinal qualification.
If India lose to New Zealand and win against England and Bangladesh, then they will have to hope that the Kiwis lose to either of Pakistan, England or Sri Lanka.
1 Win
If India win only one out of their next three matches, that can jeopardize their qualification chances. In that case, Harmanpree Kaur and her team are likely to be eliminated. New Zealand and South Africa, if they maintain their winning rate, would then leapfrog the Indian team.
