Reddy, Renuka shine before India go 1-0 up in rain-curtailed game

India laid down an early marker in a truncated opening T20I at the SCG as they bundled Australia out for 133 at the start of the Sophie Molineux captaincy era and were well ahead of the DLS when the rain arrived with the required five overs of the chase having just been completed.

Arundhati Reddy collected a career-best 4 for 22, including the scalps of Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry, while Renuka Singh was exceptional in the powerplay. Five of Australia's top seven reached double figures but Georgia Wareham's 30 was the top score as they lost their last eight wickets for 65.

Australia's 133 in 18 overs was only the sixth time in T20I history they had been bowled out in the first innings and they have only faced fewer overs on two occasions in any T20I innings.

Shafali Verma did early damage in the chase, launching Kim Garth's second ball over mid-off for six, and though she fell to Molineux's first delivery as captain, India raced to 50 as the rain started to fall. The result leaves India one win away from just a second bilateral series victory in Australia.

Bowling three consecutive overs in the powerplay is a big ask, but Renuka performed her role exceptionally despite going for boundaries off the last two balls of her first over. After that, her next two cost just two runs including the wicket of Beth Mooney who skied a catch into the off side. The fifth over of the innings was a maiden to Litchfield who took nine balls to get off the mark. However, after Renuka's maiden, Australia caught up strongly with 35 off the next two overs.

At 68 for 2 after seven, the home side were well placed. Then they lost Perry, brilliantly caught by Harmanpreet Kaur running back from mid-off, which was the start of a superb evening for Reddy. She removed Litchfield - who had overcome her sticky start - with the first delivery of the next over, another ball skied high which this time was taken by the keeper. Between those wickets, Ashleigh Gardner had tamely chipped Deepti Sharma to midwicket meaning Australia had lost half their side before the halfway mark of the innings.

Wareham and Nicola Carey, the latter recalled for the first time since 2022, threatened to rebuild, but Reddy returned to have Wareham taken at cover the ball after she was dropped at deep square leg. Next delivery, another catch went down when Reddy couldn't hold a return chance offered by Annabel Sutherland but she would later close out the innings by bowling Darcie Brown.

In Molineux's first match as captain, Australia's middle order make-up was interesting. The big call had been made before the game to omit vice-captain Tahlia McGrath. The use of Wareham at No. 6, Carey and No. 7 and Sutherland as low as No. 8 became a topic of debate. Earlier in the day Sutherland was named the Belinda Clark Award winner for the second year in a row, but her T20I batting is one area of her game which has yet to flourish. Despite being at No. 8, Sutherland still had more than five overs to make an impact when she arrived but could only reach 3 before being brilliantly stumped by Richa Ghosh.

As the rain started to fall, India were well placed but if the match didn't reach five overs it would have all been for nothing. Molineux brought herself on for the fifth over and with her first delivery had Shafali taken at deep midwicket. But her next five deliveries cost 13 as Jemimah Rodrigues opened her account with a first-ball boundary and Smriti Mandhana struck back-to-back fours. India deserved nothing less than the victory.