India Women continued their strong preparations on the Australia tour with a composed five-wicket win over the Governor-General’s XI Women at North Sydney Oval, showcasing a balanced effort with both bat and ball in this closely fought warm-up encounter. The match ebbed and flowed with key partnerships shaping the momentum, making it an engaging contest for fans following India Women vs Governor-General’s XI Women.
Batting first, the Governor-General’s XI began with intent but faced early pressure from India’s disciplined bowling attack. Georgia Voll struck a brisk 11 off 9 balls before falling to Kranti Gaud, setting the tone for India’s early breakthroughs. Charli Knott and Anika Learoyd attempted to stabilise the innings with a short rebuilding stand, but India’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals. Arundhati Reddy was particularly effective through the middle overs, dismissing Learoyd for 12 and trapping Annie Wikman lbw after she made 14 from 17 balls.
The middle order struggled to accelerate as Shreyanka Patil chipped in with key wickets, including Nicole Faltum for 2 and Alana King for 17, breaking developing partnerships just when momentum seemed to build. N Sree Charani also joined the wicket column by removing Tess Flintoff, ensuring the hosts never fully capitalised on their starts. A late push came from Sianna Ginger, whose unbeaten 40 off 31 balls, alongside Chloe Ainsworth (5*), lifted the total to 120/8 in 20 overs. India’s bowling effort was collective, Reddy returned impressive figures of 2/15 in four overs, Patil claimed 2/24, while Renuka Singh Thakur and Gaud grabbed one wicket each to keep the scoring under control.
Chasing 121, India Women started positively with Smriti Mandhana leading the charge. Her fluent 36 off 29 balls anchored the opening partnership with Shafali Verma, who added a brisk 8 before falling to Lucy Hamilton. The early breakthrough was followed by another quick strike when Jemimah Rodrigues departed for 2, giving the Governor-General’s XI a brief window to claw back.
Mandhana then stitched a stabilising stand with Harmanpreet Kaur, whose 26 from 23 deliveries kept the chase steady despite disciplined bowling from Ainsworth and Flintoff. Once Mandhana was dismissed by Flintoff, India needed calm heads in the middle overs, and Richa Ghosh provided momentum with an 18-run cameo, forming a useful partnership with Deepti Sharma. Although Ghosh fell to King, Deepti’s unbeaten 23 off 25 balls ensured there were no late jitters.
With wickets in hand, Deepti combined with Reddy (1*) to guide India to 121/5 in 17.3 overs, sealing the win with 15 balls remaining. The Governor-General’s XI bowlers shared the wickets, Hamilton, Ainsworth, Flintoff and King all picked up one each, but the modest total meant India’s batters could pace the chase effectively.
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