After the ODI series setback, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana guided India to a thumping 9-wicket victory over Australia in the 1st T20I on Friday.Smriti and Shafali played a near-flawless innings as their 137-run opening stand helped India chase down the target with 15 balls to spare at the DY Patil Sports Academy here. With this victory, India went 1-0 up in the three-match series. While chasing a target of 142, Smriti and Shafali neutralized the threat carried by Australian pacers Megan Schutt and Annabel Sutherland in the powerplay.The steadfast batters paced their innings according to each delivery and sent the bad ones away for a boundary.

Australia Women found themselves on the back foot right from the first over of the chase as Darcie Brown struggled to get her line and length right. The opening over proved to be a disaster for the Australian pacer, with two consecutive deliveries racing to the boundary off leg byes. Things quickly spiraled out of control for Brown as her third delivery also sped toward the boundary off a bye, adding further to her frustrations. To make matters worse, a no-ball from Brown added salt to the wound, increasing the pressure on Australia. Without even scoring a single run off the bat, India Women had already managed to put up 14 runs on the board in just one over. This was an early sign of India’s aggressive approach, and the momentum they gained from the over would prove to be a game-changer.