Litchfield, Perry and Gardner power Australia to 338

50 overs Australia 338 (Litchfield 119, Perry 77, Gardner 63, Charani 2-49, Deepti 2-73) vs India

The DY Patil Stadium was packed to the rafters and bathed in blue, but it was one yellow-clad centurion that had them in awe and silence in equal measure for most of the afternoon of the semi-final of the Women's World Cup 2025.

Phoebe Litchfield put on an exhibition as she scored her maiden World Cup century to lay a strong platform for Australia. Her 93-ball 119, and half-centuries from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, helped Australia post a tall total of 338. At 220 for 2, the platform was set for an even bigger total, but India managed to pull things back by taking 8 for 118 in the last 16.1 overs to bowl them out with one ball to spare. But a target of 339 may not leave them feeling very pleased, even though the surface looks good for batting. In their league meeting in Visakhapatnam, Australia had chased down 331 with six balls to spare.

Alyssa Healy returned for Australia, who opted to bat in Navi Mumbai. A rainy and overcast morning in the city had given way to a sunny afternoon at the toss, and the decision was a no-brainer, considering even India wanted to bat. Healy, returning after missing two games because of a minor calf injury, looked scratchy before Kranti Gaud had her chopping on in the sixth over. Harmanpreet Kaur, who had dropped Healy three overs earlier, heaved a huge sigh of relief. Right on cue, the players had to rush off because of a heavy downpour.

After a 15-minute break, Australia managed to up the scoring, thanks to Litchfield. They hit nine fours in the next 29 balls - one of them via an overthrow - as Australia ended the powerplay on 72 for 1. Renuka Singh and Gaud bowled unchanged through the phase and Litchfield lined up Gaud by hitting six fours in 15 balls off her.

If India expected spin to bring some respite, they were mistaken. Perry sensed what Litchfield was up to and rotated the strike well. But it was not that she did not take on a positive match-up if an opportunity arose - she tonked Deepti Sharma over long-on in just her second over.

At the other end, Litchfield was batting as fluently as she has all World Cup. She was ruled out caught when on 62 but an umpire's review came to her aid. She reverse-swept N Shree Charani straight to short third but replays showed that it bounced just after she hit it. There was no looking back thereon as Litchfield raced to her hundred off just 77 balls.

Against spin, India had protection in the deep for her sweeps - point and square leg being back. And that played into the hands of Litchfield, who was happy to dance down and hit Charani and Radha Yadav in the arc between long-off and deep cover. She was dismissed when she missed a scoop off Amanjot Kaur.

Perry was set with her first fifty of this tournament, but Australia struggled to find the next gear. Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland and Tahlia McGrath also fell rather cheaply. Australia lost 4 for 45 in the latter half of the middle overs, and it felt India were firmly in control. Charani and Radha were getting enough grip to even trouble Gardner. But her 41-ball fifty helped Australia cross the 300-run mark. Even a flurry of wickets towards the end didn't dampen their spirits.