India shock Australia with world record run-chase

30 Oct 2025 Laura Jolly, at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Match Report

30 Oct 2025 Laura Jolly, at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Australia made to pay for poor fielding performance as Jemimah Rodrigues hits unbeaten century to guide hosts into World Cup final

India have stunned Australia, pulling off a world record run chase to knock the reigning champions out of the ODI World Cup in a famous semi-final triumph in Navi Mumbai.

Needing to enter uncharted territory after Phoebe Litchfield's 93-ball 119 laid the foundation for Australia's 338 all out at DY Patil Stadium, Rodrigues produced the best innings of her career, a sublime unbeaten 127 from 134, making a serious statement after being dropped by India just three matches ago.

Australia were made to pay for dropping Rodrigues on 82 and again on 106, as the right-hander shared a crucial 167-run stand with her captain Harmanpreet Kaur (89) before India sealed victory – and booked a showdown with South Africa in Sunday's decider – with five wickets in hand and nine balls to spare.

As it happened: Rodrigues leads record chase to knock Aussies out

In doing so, they set a new standard for the highest successful chase in women's ODIs, toppling the record 330 Australia had set just two weeks ago, against India, in Visakhapatnam.

Their win means there will be a new ODI World Cup champion come Sunday, with one of India or South Africa to win their first title.

It also means Australia, unbeaten at the ODI World Cup since 2017 and ranked No.1 in both white-ball formats, go home empty handed and will hold neither ICC trophy, having lost the semi-final of last year's T20 World Cup to South Africa.

If Harmanpreet's famous unbeaten 171 in India's 2017 semi-final win was a lone-hand for the ages, this victory was a testament to the greater depth developed across the eight years since, with 25-year-old Rodrigues, a Mumbai native, the headline act.

After a series of narrow defeats in run chases to Australia in T20 World Cup knockouts, and a failed chase from a similar position against England earlier in this tournament, this time India held their nerve as the required rate hovered around seven per over throughout their chase.

Australia meanwhile paid the price for their poorest performance in the field of the tournament, including the two simple dropped chances against Rodrigues, alongside a late-innings collapse with the bat.

They had been on top early with the ball, after Kim Garth trapped Shafali Verma lbw for 10, then a canny decision to review saw superstar opener Smriti Mandhana dismissed for 24 after getting a faint edge off Garth down the leg side.

But from there, Rodrigues – promoted to No.3 following the omission of Harleen Deol – took control alongside Harmanpreet, piling on 167 runs for the third wicket.

The pair kept the required run rate in check, and took the chase deep, while Australia paid the price when Alyssa Healy dropped a simple skied chance when Rodrigues was on 82, and Tahlia McGrath put down another opportunity when the India No.3 was on 106.

Australia's hopes were ignited when Harmanpreet holed out for 89, and Deepti Sharma (24) was run out shortly after.

With six overs to go India needed 48 runs. It was the exact sort of scenario where Australia had so often pulled a rabbit out of a hat in the past to trigger a collapse and steal a win over their fierce rivals, but Rodrigues had nerves of steel as she, alongside Richa Ghosh (26 from 16) and Amanjot Kaur (15no from 8) saw the hosts home.

After a stuttering group stage that saw the hosts lose three consecutive matches, India got their combination right when it mattered, promoting the swashbuckling and ultra-talented Rodrigues – dropped for the game they lost to England – to No.3 and omitting the less dynamic Harleen Deol.

Earlier, Litchfield laid the foundation for Australia's innings with her first World Cup century.

In her return to the Australia XI, Healy elected to bat first, deciding runs on the board was the way to go.

She got a life early, on two in her return to the top of the Australian order, as Harmanpreet uncharacteristically spilled a simple chance at mid-off.

Alyssa Healy dropped Jemimah Rodrigues when the batter was 82 // ICC/Getty

But it only cost India a further three runs, before Healy – perhaps having lost concentration during a prolonged delay as the stadium light towers switched on one-by-one, and drizzle started to fall – chopped on for five.

Second later, the heavens opened, forcing a brief delay in play.

Upon resumption, Ellyse Perry (77 from 88) joined Litchfield in a 155-run second-wicket stand, embracing her 22-year-old teammate when she reached triple figures from 76 deliveries.

Ashleigh Gardner's 45-ball 63 helped power Australia's total over 300 by the end of the 36th over, with four wickets in hand, but her untimely runout in the 49th sapped momentum from what could have been a late explosion and a total over 350 as India's bowlers fought back late, with a collapse of 4-7 seeing Australia bowled out for 338 with one ball remaining in their innings.

Australia will have little time to grapple with the heartbreak of their defeat, returning home to prepare for the start of the Weber WBBL season on November 9.

'We did that to ourselves': Healy laments missed opportunities

2025 Women's ODI World Cup

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham