Smriti Mandhana was left visibly stunned after being dismissed caught behind in the ODI World Cup semi-final against Australia at the DY Patil Cricket Stadium. The incident occurred in the 10th over of India’s chase when Kim Garth bowled a delivery that went down the leg side and was called a wide by the on-field umpire. Surprisingly, Australia’s wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy opted for a DRS review.
The technology showed a spike, and the third umpire ruled Mandhana out, much to her disbelief. She repeatedly told teammate Jemimah Rodrigues, “bat nahi laga,” clearly questioning the decision. Even leg-umpire Lauren Agenbag seemed taken aback, shrugging as if to acknowledge the unusual spike on the technology.
Despite her surprise, Mandhana laughed it off before walking back to the pavilion, having scored 24 runs off 24 balls. The dismissal added an unexpected twist to India’s chase, leaving fans and players alike debating the rarity of such a decision.
Australia post 338 on the board
Meanwhile, Australia posted 338 runs on the board in the first innings. After winning the toss, Alyssa Healy opted to bat first, and her team took advantage of the conditions. Opener Pheobe Litchfield stole the show with her knock of 119 runs off 93 balls. Veteran all-rounder Ellyse Perry supported her well, scoring 77 runs.
Towards the fag end, Ashleigh Gardner played a classy knock of 63 runs off 45 balls. She had a weak start, but eventually got going and helped Australia post a mammoth total on the board. For India, Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma picked up two wickets each.
When it came to the chase, Shafali Verma departed early, scoring just 10 runs off five balls. She looked in decent touch before Kim Garth got the better of her. The onus is now on Jemimah Rordigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur to win the game for the hosts.
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