Importantly, India dealt Australia their first defeat in 16 ODI World Cup matches. Faced with a record run chase in women’s ODIs, India rode on an unbeaten century from Rodrigues and an 89 from Harmanpreet to romp home with nine balls to spare. This will be the first ODI World Cup final to not feature either Australia or England, as India will face South Africa on Sunday. The 34,651 at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday sure got their money’s worth.

The end might have been vastly different had Alyssa Healey managed to hold on to a skier from Rodrigues when she was on 82. India needed 131 from 106 balls at that point.

About three hours earlier, though Phoebe Litchfield, had put on an exhibition that left the crowd, bathed in blue, in awe and silence in equal measure for most of the afternoon. Her maiden World Cup century aided with half-centuries from Elysse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner helped Australia get to 338. India pulled things back by taking 8 for 118 towards the end, which proved to be vital.

With a record chase in front, Smriti Mandhana walked out with a new (old) opening partner in Shafali Verma. The latter began in typical style, hitting Megan Schutt for a four off the second ball she faced. But the near-housefull crowd was silenced after Kim Garth trapped her lbw, with India also losing a review. It wasn’t until the seventh over that Mandhana hit her first boundary, a lofted straight six off Garth. Rodrigues, in at No. 3 after Harleen Deol was dropped, wasted little time in getting going. However, when India lost a second wicket in Mandhana inside the tenth over, you could hear a pin drop at the DY Patil Stadium. Given not out for a caught-behind down leg side, Australia used the DRS with Snicko returning the faintest of murmurs.

India were 60 for 2 after the powerplay, as opposed to Australia’s 72 for 1. That is when Rodrigues and Harmanpreet set about with the rebuild. After Mandhana’s fall, Rodrigues’ flow allowed Harmanpreet to get her eye in. And that was not at the ask of the scoring rate. India constantly scored at around six runs per over, never letting the ask get out of hand.

Rodrigues got to a 57-ball half-century, and Harmanpreet got to hers in 65 balls. While the other captains have had vital contributions in this campaign, Harmanpreet’s best was her 70 against England, her wicket helping the opposition open an end up. But in the semi-final against Australia, she was not going to let another ripe chance go begging. She only hit her first six after her fifty – a loft inside out over extra cover off Tahlia McGrath. She followed that with another humongous hit off Gardner over midwicket in the next over. India needed only 150 in the last 20 overs, a regulation chase in this era.

But Harmanpreet’s wicket threatened to add a twist to the tale. Deepti Sharma was run out for 24 off 17. Richa Ghosh came in, hit two fours and two sixes to reduce the margin before she fell. But India were not going to let Harmanpreet and Rodrigues’ 167-run partnership off just 156 balls go waste. The platform was set and this time, India wouldn’t miss out. Not with a determined Rodrigues, who scored her maiden World Cup hundred off 114 balls. She did not celebrate then because the task at hand was still not complete. In the end, nobody could stop her from celebrating.

Earlier in the afternoon, Kranti Gaud had a scratchy Healy, returning after she missed two games with a minor calf strain, chopping on in the sixth over before a heavy downpour. A 15-minute delay completely changed the momentum, as Australia hit nine fours in the next 29 balls, one of them via an overthrow.

If India expected spin to bring some respite, they were mistaken. Litchfield was batting as fluently as she has done all World Cup. She was ruled out caught when on 62 but an umpire’s review came to her aid. She reverse swept Shree Charani straight to short third but replays showed that it bounced just after she hit it. There was no looking back thereon as Litchfield got to her hundred off just 77 balls.

Against spin, India had protection in the deep for her sweeps – point and square leg being back. And that played into the hands of Litchfield, who was happy to dance down and hit Charani and Radha Yadav in the arc between long-off and deep cover. She was dismissed when she missed a scoop off Amanjot Kaur.

Perry rotated the strike well but also did not miss out on a positive match-up if an opportunity arose – she tonked Deepti over long-on in just her second over. She was set with her first fifty of the World Cup, but Australia struggled to find the next gear. Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland and McGrath also fell rather cheaply. Australia lost 4 for 45 in the latter half of the middle overs, and it felt India were firmly in control. Charani and Radha were getting enough grip to even trouble Gardner. But her 41-ball fifty helped Australia cross the 300-run mark.

What looked like a tall chase was aced with absolute mastery. The contest had the makings of an epic, and it lived up to it.

Brief scores:
India Women  341 for 5 in 48.3 overs  (Jemimah Rodrigues 127*, Harmanpreet  Kaur 89; Kim Garth 2-46, Annabel Sutherland 2-65) beat Australia Women  338 in 49.5 overs  (Phoebe Litchfield 119, Elysse Perry 77, Ashleigh Gardner 63; Shree  Charani 2-49, Deepti Sharma 2-73) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]