India vs Aus WC 2025: Harmanpreet Kaur Drops Australia Skipper Alyssa Healy’s Catch

In a tense opening to the Women’s World Cup semi-final, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur gave Australian skipper Alyssa Healy a vital life; however, Kranti Gaud redeemed the lapse just three overs later by rattling Healy’s stumps.

The high-stakes ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 semi-final between hosts India and seven-time champions Australia began with a moment of high drama at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Thursday.

After Australian captain Alyssa Healy won the toss and elected to bat first, the second delivery of the third over saw a massive opportunity go begging for India. Pacer Renuka Singh Thakur tempted Healy with a fuller delivery, which the Aussie skipper mistimed, sending a simple lofted shot toward mid-off.

India’s captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, sprinted to her right, reached out, but agonizingly failed to hold onto the catch, granting the dangerous Healy a crucial early reprieve.

Gaud Strikes to Halt Healy

Fortunately for India, the lapse did not prove too costly, as young pacer Kranti Gaud stepped up to deliver the breakthrough. On the very first ball of the sixth over, Gaud bowled a precise length delivery just outside off. Healy, attempting a gentle punch, was beaten by a slight inward movement off the seam. The ball took a faint inside edge and crashed into the stumps, cleaning up the Australian captain.

Healy’s dismissal for a low score was a massive relief for the Indian side and further highlights Gaud’s impressive track record against the superstar batter. In five previous ODI innings against Gaud, Healy has now been dismissed four times, underscoring a telling battle of bowler versus batter.

The Road to the Final

This semi-final is a critical clash with significant history; India famously defeated Australia at this stage in the 2017 World Cup. Since that defeat, however, Australia has embarked on a dominant run, winning 15 consecutive ODI World Cup matches.

The winner of this highly anticipated contest will advance to the final on Sunday, where they will face South Africa, who secured their spot by defeating England.

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