India's journey in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 ended in the group stage itself. Australia defeated India by 6 wickets in the match played at Lord's Cricket Ground on Sunday and confirmed its place in the semi-finals. With this defeat, the Indian team finished third in Group A, while Australia and South Africa made it to the last four.

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Harmanpreet Kaur's captaincy innings

Batting first after losing the toss, India made a challenging score of 170/4 in 20 overs. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur played an explosive inning of 56 runs in just 27 balls and put the team in a strong position. Indian batsmen tried to put pressure on Australia by playing positive cricket from the beginning.

Bowlers gave hope, but partnership changed the match

The Australian team, which came to chase the target of 171 runs, did not have a good start. The Indian bowlers had tightened their grip on the match by taking the first three wickets quickly. But after this, Ellyse Perry (56 runs on 38 balls) and Ashley Gardner (53 not out on 29 balls) made a match-winning partnership of 100 runs for the fourth wicket. Both the batsmen put continuous pressure on the Indian bowlers and Australia achieved the target in the 19th over itself.

Deepti Sharma created world record

Even though India lost the match, Deepti Sharma created history. By taking the wicket of Beth Mooney, she made the record of becoming the bowler taking the highest wicket in women's international cricket. This was the 356th international wicket of her career, leaving behind Jhulan Goswami's record.

India's campaign ends here

India's World Cup campaign ended with this defeat. Australia, on the other hand, topped Group A and entered the semi-finals. This defeat was definitely disappointing for the Indian team, but the performance of many young players in the tournament and the historic achievement of Deepti Sharma also left positive signs for the future.