“We were in the game for quite some time, we didn’t play to our standard,” the Indian captain said after another group stage exit in the T20 World Cup. | Photo Credit: AFP

India bowed out of the Women’s T20 World Cup after a six-wicket loss to six-time champions Australia here on Sunday.

India, riding on a fine 56 from Harmanpreet Kaur, made 170 for 4 in the allotted 20 overs with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma also chipping in with 38 and 34 respectively.

However, Australia scored the required runs in 19 overs with Ellyse Perry (56) and Ashleigh Gardner (53 not out) being the main architects of the win.’ With South Africa defeating Bangladesh by four wickets earlier in the day, Australia and the Proteas moved into the semifinals from Group A.

Australia finished its group engagements with 10 points, followed by South Africa on eight from five. India finished with six points.

“We got a decent total on the board. I thought we were a little short until last over. We didn’t play well against good teams. They bowled really well, we didn’t get what we expected,” Harmanpreet said after the game.

The Indian captain herself had her best game with the bat against Australia.

“We didn’t play well against good teams. Against the best teams always your best comes, we’ve been pushed to get to that level. We were in the game for quite some time, we didn’t play to our standard,” she said.

On what the future holds for this unit, the 37-year-old said, “We need to see how we go against good teams, we have to reset everything. There are some good tournaments coming up, we’ll give our best.”

Published on Jun 28, 2026