It was a night that truly defined the spirit of the Women’s World Cup 2025, a contest that will forever be remembered in cricketing history for its remarkable comeback. The semi-final between India and Australia at the DY Patil turned into a thrilling spectacle of nerves, brilliance, and resilience.
Chasing a massive total of 339, the India Women’s Cricket Team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, pulled off the highest successful run-chase in Women’s ODI cricket history to secure the November 2 final against South Africa, leaving the formidable Australians in disbelief.
In the aftermath, Australian veteran Ellyse Perry stood out, embodying humility and grace as she acknowledged India’s brilliance in what she termed ‘a chase that made pay’. Her post-match comments reflected true sportsmanship and respect, and its evident why Perry is one of the most admired figures in women’s cricket.
This match has become a benchmark in the Women’s World Cup 2025. Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues took center stage in a defining moment. Perry herself noted that the Australian dressing room “would applaud” their composure and skill. “All of us in our dressing room would applaud Harman and Jemi for the way that they played, the way that they went about that chase after probably losing two early wickets in the power play,” she reflected.
Perry didn’t hold back when assessing India’s stunning performance. “It’s really easy to stand here in retrospect and throw ideas into the wind,” she replied when asked what Australia could have done differently. “They just made us pay. All credit goes to them as opposed to anything that we did or didn’t do,” she added.
Despite her own commendable performance, scoring 77, and forming an all-important 155-run partnership with Phoebe Litchfield, Perry quickly shifted the focus away from herself. “I think my innings is pretty irrelevant,” she said. “From our side, Phoebe was just phenomenal. I thought the way Ash (Ashleigh Gardner) finished the innings was brilliant as well. She’s been unbelievable. But then on the flip side, that partnership between Harman and Jemi was special and they made it count in their home conditions.”
The match also featured two missed opportunities for Australia; Jemimah Rodrigues was dropped twice, once at 82 and again at 106. Rather than dwell on these errors, Perry displayed a different perspective. “You never want to make mistakes, but when you’re playing in high-pressure situations and there’s a lot on the line, things happen.
“For us, I don’t think we ever talk about it. You just move on straight away. Everyone’s doing absolutely all they can. Sometimes those things happen and no one means it, and we’re just there to support each other,” Perry added.”
This mindset, acknowledging the opposition and applauding excellence while maintaining accountability, resonates not just in cricket but in life. In a tournament where emotions run high, Perry’s words are impactful, “You can’t walk away with excuses from a loss in the semifinal because at the end of the day, you need to be able to perform on the day that matters the most.
“But at the same time, we can be super proud of the style of cricket that we’ve played throughout this tournament, and even across the last 12 months.”
(Quotes sourced from PTI)
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