In the history of women’s cricket, few knocks have carried the same aura as Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 171 off 115 deliveries against Australia in the 2017 ODI World Cup semi-final at Derby. The innings not only altered the course of that match but also transformed India’s standing in global women’s cricket.
For Meg Lanning, then the Australian skipper, being at the receiving end of the assault was both humbling and unforgettable, a moment that remains etched in her career as much as it is in Harmanpreet’s legacy.
Lanning admitted that the feeling that day was one of helplessness, a captain unable to wrestle control back from a batting masterclass.
“Yeah, my overriding feeling for the semi-final against India is sort of being a little bit helpless, even like in the field when the call got going. We couldn’t do anything, like she just was hitting every ball we bowled for four, every plan we had, she had an answer for. She was just on another level, and it didn’t really matter what we tried or what I tried; it didn’t seem to make a difference.”
Australia and India, led by Lanning and Mithali Raj respectively, were meeting in a rain-trimmed semi-final of 42 overs each at County Ground, Derby, on 20th July 2017. Mithali Raj opted to bat, but it was Harmanpreet who shouldered the role of aggressor astonishingly. Blazing 20 boundaries and 7 sixes, she produced an innings that made the imposing total of 281/4 in 42 overs almost inevitable.
For Lanning, the sudden rain break compounded her team’s struggle in a match that began slipping from Australia’s grip sharply. “So, it was one of those games where it sort of got out of control.
“We couldn’t bring it back. It was actually a rain-shortened game, I think it was only 4 or 5 overs, and so that meant that the half-time break was also reduced, which didn’t help us in the end because the ball got on a roll towards the back end and then the break was only like 20 minutes and so we just all kept rolling into one and then we went out to bat and we just lost wickets and it just went downhill really quickly.”
Australia’s chase never took flight. Despite Elyse Villani’s 75 and Alex Blackwell’s fighting 90, the defending champions fell 36 runs short. A jubilant India marched into the Lord’s final, which they went on to narrowly lose to England on 23rd July by 9 runs.
Harmanpreet’s 171* remains one of the sport’s defining innings, a match that expanded India’s cricketing frontiers and showcased the global competitiveness of women’s ODIs. For Lanning, who has spent a career scripting her own batting milestones, the Derby knock was a rare reminder of being powerless against brilliance. It stands today as one of the rare occasions where an Australian women’s team found itself chasing shadows.
Now, as the women’s game prepares for another global chapter with the 13th edition of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup set for 30th September–2nd November 2025 in India and Sri Lanka, the echoes of that Derby night rumble again. India, under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership, will host Australia and Alyssa Healy in a three-match ODI series from 14th to 20th September.
It will serve as the perfect precursor to the World Cup, where India will open their campaign against co-hosts Sri Lanka at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on 30th September at 3 PM IST. Australia face New Zealand in the following fixture on 1st October at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, also at 3 PM IST.
The narrative of women’s ODIs has come a long way since Derby 2017, but Harmanpreet’s 171* remains a cornerstone, a reminder that one innings can forever alter the memory of a World Cup. For Meg Lanning, that day remains not as a regret but as an acknowledgement of being part of one of cricket’s most iconic, unstoppable performances.
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