ELLYSE Perry’s 47-ball 75, Grace Harris’s quick-fire 41 off 18 and a disciplined performance with the ball helped Australia go 2-1 up in the five-match series with a 21-run win in the third T20I against India at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai yesterday.

Australia posted 172 for eight and India ended up with 151 for seven despite a 41-ball 52 by Shafali Verma.

Although Smriti Mandhana struggled to get going at the start of the chase and was eventually dismissed by Darcie Brown for one, off 10, Shafali and Jemimah Rodrigues struck regular boundaries to ensure India did not fall behind during the powerplay. Rodrigues, however, fell to Brown after striking three fours off Annabel Sutherland.

Shafali increased her pace of scoring after the first six overs, striking a six off Alana King followed by three fours in a Nicola Carey over. Gardner was also hit for a six by Shafali while Harmanpreet Kaur was reprieved by a missed stumping in a King over as India moved to 79/2 at the halfway stage of their innings.

Harmanpreet made the most of the missed chance by striking two fours in the next King over, while Shafali also chipped in with a boundary.

Australia hit back with quick wickets as Carey had Shafali caught at deep mid-wicket while Gardner picked up the wickets of Devika Vaidya and Richa Ghosh in the same over. Harmanpreet, meanwhile, was dropped at long-off and the ball travelled to the boundary, bringing down the equation to 51 off the last four overs.

India, however, ended up well short of the target as Australia kept the hosts in check, with Schutt bagging the important wicket of Harmanpreet in the 17th over when the Indian skipper mistimed a slog sweep.

Earlier, Perry was the backbone of Australia’s batting effort after the visitors were asked to bat. Perry, the No.4 batter, came in as early as the second over as Renuka Singh and Anjali Sarvani bagged the wickets of Alyssa Healy and McGrath respectively. Australia were 5-2 at that stage and Perry and Beth Mooney staged the recovery through a 64-run partnership.

Mooney, who was looking good to register her fourth successive fifty against India, fell to Vaidya’s lack of pace as she handed a catch to cover to depart for 30 off 22.

Vaidya also had Ashleigh Gardner out stumped but Perry wasn’t deterred by the quick wickets as she continued positively, bringing up a 33-ball fifty and later struck a four and a six off successive deliveries from Radha Yadav.

Perry found an able ally in Harris who struck sixes off Sarvani and Rajeshwari Gayakwad to get going. They put on a brisk half-century stand before Sarvani ended Perry’s stay in the 17th over when the batter fell to a miscued sweep. (Cricbuzz)