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AUSW vs INDW | 2nd T20I: Tahlia McGrath shines as hosts script fightback to steal a win

Somya Kapoor

Australia women’s team player Tahlia McGrath was the star in the home side’s win in the second T20I of the three-match series against India in Queensland. McGrath came into bat when Australia were struggling at 46/4 while chasing a target of 119 runs. 

The Indian bowlers had picked up some early wickets and the hosts were on the back foot when McGrath took the onus on herself and steadied the ship for the side. 

She first stitched a partnership of 23 runs with Nicola Carey for the sixth wicket and then put an unbeaten stand of 25 runs with Georgia Wareham to anchor the side home by 4 wickets. 

For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad picked up a three-wicket haul for 21 runs in 4 overs while Shikha Pandey, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma scalped a wicket apiece for the side. 

Earlier, in the day, India suffered a major batting collapse after they lost a couple of early wickets with both the openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma back in the hut. Jemimah Rodrigues who was the highest scorer in the last match followed soon as the visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were left tottering at 81/9. 

It was Pooja Vastrakar’s 26-ball 37* cameo that helped India put up some score on the board. Apart from her, captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 28 off 20. Vlaeminck and Molineux picked up a couple of wickets each. 

India captain Kaur admitted that the side was around 20 runs short but also added that the track wasn’t an easy one to bat on. 

“We were 20 runs short, but the wicket wasn't an easy one to bat on. We had a good game. We didn't give them easy runs. We fought till the end. Would want to take the team to take more responsibility,” she said. 

Australia skipper Meg Lanning lauded McGrath for the way she played in this match. 

“We bowled better. I think it was our best performance with the ball in the series. Tahlia McGrath was wonderful and helped us. Fair bit of swing around. But then it gets the bowlers in the game, and that makes it exciting,” she said. 

The two teams will now lock horns in the final T20I on Sunday. Australia presently lead the series 1-0.  

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IPL 2021 | DC vs CSK | Qualifier 1 Preview: It's pupil vs master as IPL moves in to battle of nerves

There is a newborn rivalry in the Indian Premier League between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. While Chennai have proven their worth in all these years, it took Delhi sometime to stamp the authority. In the first place, the change of name brought a change in fortunes as the Capitals registered a playoff berth for the second time on the trot. They finished as the runners up in the last edition. The two sides will be up against each other once again in the first qualifier match of this season’s IPL. The Capitals ended the league stage as the table toppers while CSK followed them at number two. While both the teams have been dominant in the majority part of the game, they would be coming into this match after suffering defeats in previous respective matches. CSK faced a batting collapse against Punjab Kings and then witnessed a batting masterclass from KL Rahul to see Punjab home. The Chennai bowlers tried to provide some resistance but the scoreboard pressure never really pushed Punjab and especially KL Rahul on back foot during the course. The script for DC in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore was a bit different as the sides made sure that the last day of the league stage was filled with excitement and eventually a nail-biting finish. Chasing a stiff target of 165 in 20 overs, RCB needed six off the last ball. DC pacer Avesh Khan who was bowling the final over first bowled a wide delivery down the leg and was then hit for a maximum by KS Bharat who was in different form on Friday. It was surely a disappointing end to the match for DC and captain Rishabh Pant admitted the same during the post-match presentation. “Not feeling great at the moment, these are the kind of games you'd need to win, but we did put in our 100%,” he said. The defeat didn’t really play much role as far as the points table is concerned but the Delhi Capitals would have got the momentum before going into an important fixture. But the Rishabh Pant-led side can boost the confidence as they clinched victories on both the occasions against Chennai Super Kings in this edition. The high-voltage drama in Mumbai saw heaps of runs being scored from both the ends and at a brisk pace. While CSK batted first and put 188/7 in 20 overs on the board, DC chased down the target in the 19th over itself. The second match saw the bowlers having a good day at the office as both the teams faced issues with their batting units. CSK managed to score 136/5 in 20 overs in Dubai while DC chased down the target by three wickets with just two balls to spare. But as they say let bygones be bygones. The teams will walk out in the middle afresh and some new strategies. Match Details Match: CSK vs DC, Qualifier 1, Indian Premier League 2021 Date: Sunday, October 10, 2021 Time: 7:30 PM Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium , Dubai Telecast: Star Sports Network & Disney Hotstar Pitch Report The last two matches in Dubai have seen the batsmen being among runs in the second phase of the game and the track is expected to behave in the same manner. The bowlers might find it difficult to put a halt on the scoring rate especially in the later half. So, if you win the toss, elect to field first. MS Dhoni’s silent weapon CSK’s Shardul Thakur is making a habit of picking up wickets at crucial junctions. The pacer has proven to be the trump card for MS Dhoni whenever the CSK captain needs to get the breakthrough and he would play a key role in repeating what he has been doing for quite a while now. Experienced, equipped all-rounders The Chennai Super Kings side comprises two of the most experienced all-rounders in their ranks, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja. Bravo brings a lot to the table for CSK. He can chip in with quick runs, is a good fielder and most importantly has the ability to deceive the batsmen in the death overs with his slower ones. Jadeja on the other side has impressively improved as a batsman and scores runs quickly while has the ability to pick up wickets in the middle overs. Apart from this, his fielding abilities don’t really need much introduction. The left-hander takes good catches in the deep but is on point while throwing the ball from a distance. Confident batting unit Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in some sublime form. He along with Faf du Plessis has made the top order look pretty strong. Apart from these two, Ambati Rayudu is another important batsman in the unit who can fetch runs at a good scoring rate. DC’s opening- A concern The Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw hasn’t really had a great run in the second half of this edition. In fact, he finally got some runs in the last match against RCB where he managed to score 48 during the course. But Shaw’s form is surely a major concern for the team management considering the importance of this game. Shikhar Dhawan who opens the innings with Shaw would need support from the other end in the initial phase of the innings to put up a good score. Impressive Avesh Khan For some who wouldn’t have followed this season’s IPL, Avesh Khan wouldn’t be an impressive bowler. Ofcourse, the right-hander was hit for a six on the last delivery that eventually cost them the game. But Avesh’s talent is way more than that one ball. He has scalped the wickets of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli during the course of the tournament and is presently the second highest wicket-taker in the competition. One major ability that this young lad has is that he has a certain plan for every batter whom he bowls to and this would be pretty helpful for DC when they take the field on Sunday. Team News DC: The Delhi Capitals are likely to go ahead with the same team composition. But there is a bit of a concern for the Capitals’ team management and that is their fielding. Pant himself admitted that the side was a bit complacent while fielding against RCB. “See, in T20s, you talk a lot about fielding and if you field like we did tonight, the other team deserves to win,” he said. So, this is one area where DC would need to work. CSK: The Chennai Super Kings are looking pretty stable at the moment and they just need to stick to the basics at the moment. Probable XI DC: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Lukman Meriwala CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood Probable XI Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan (VC), Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur (C), Avesh Khan, Josh Hazlewooda