It was another hearbreak for Team India in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023. While the Women in Blue had reached the finals of the last edition of the T20 tournament and had faced a defeat against Australia in the summit clash, this time around too the Indian side were up against the same opposition, who have been dominating women's cricket, but in the semi-final stage of the tournament.
While the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side indeed put up a better shown than that final in Melbourne where they were completely outplayed, eventually they fell short by 5 runs at the Newlands in Capte Town in the knockout fixture. In perhaps the biggest turning point in the match, the Indian skipper, who was looking in sublime touch and had put the team on the verge of a place in the final batting on 51 off 33 balls got run out.
Even though Harmanpreet has termed the dismissal "unlucky" as her bat had got stuck as she was dragging it back onto the crease while completing the second run, several former crickerters and pundits have criticised how she was too casual while coming back for the second. Former England captain Nasser Hussain even described it as a "schoolgirl error." And now Australian keeper-batter Alyssa Healy, who played a part in that run out, also expressed her opinion on the same.
She said that it wasn't an unlucky dismissal as Harmanpreet would have easily made it past the crease had she put in the effort.
"So, just a bizarre play. Harmanpreet can say all she likes that it was so unlucky. At the end of the day, she cruised back and probably could’ve been past the crease, an extra two meters, if she genuinely put in the effort. So, we’ll take it,” she said while speaking to ABC sport.
“You can say you’re unlucky all your life, but it’s generally about effort and energy at that moment in time. And I know that’s something we speak about in the field in particular - putting in that effort and putting in that energy," she added.
"I think that comes back to running between the wickets as well. It’s doing those little basics better than the opposition. That’s how you win big tournaments," she said.
As a result of Australia's win, the team is now in their seventh straight final and will face host nation South Africa in the titular contest.