In a high-tension T20 final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Australia edged out India by 9 runs to become the first-ever gold medalists in CWG cricket. India's pursuit of 162 was led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who fought hard for 65 runs, but it wasn't enough to seal the win. Australia's Ashleigh Gardner proved pivotal, delivering a masterful all-round display with 25 runs and three wickets to her name.
Australia opted to bat first but faced an early setback when Renuka Singh took the wicket of Alyssa Healy for 7. The innings stabilized thanks to Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning, who put together a 74-run stand. This partnership was eventually broken by Radha Yadav, whose quick thinking led to Lanning's dismissal for 36.
India regained momentum in the following over when Radha took a spectacular catch to get rid of Tahlia McGrath for 2. However, the Australian onslaught continued as Mooney and Gardner accelerated the scoring. Thanks to Mooney's top score of 61, Australia finished their 20 overs with a defendable score of 161/8.
India's chase got off to a rocky start with the early exits of Shafali Verma (11) and Smriti Mandhana (6). The game looked to be turning in India's favor when Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues built a promising 96-run partnership, but the breakthrough came when Megan Schutt bowled out Rodrigues for 33.
The momentum swung violently back to Australia when Gardner claimed two wickets in a single over, leaving India reeling. A collapse followed, with India losing eight wickets for a mere 34 runs. Ultimately, the 'Women in Blue' fell short and took home the silver medal.