Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur fuel India's DLS victory

Arundhati Reddy and Renuka Thakur produced a clinical display as India secured a 21-run DLS victory over Australia in a rain-affected opening T20I at the SCG. The tourists dominated proceedings from the getgo, reducing the hosts to 133 all out in just 18 overs before weather intervened into the sixth of their innings to hand them a 1-0 series lead.

Sophie Molineux's tenure as Australia's new T20I captain got off to a forgettable start as her batting unit crumbled under relentless pressure from India's pace attack. Arundhati as the chief destroyer with career-best figures of 4 for 22, dismantling the middle order with precision after Renuka had set the tone with a miserly PowerPlay spell.

The foundation of India's triumph was laid in the first six overs when Renuka operated with surgical precision. Tasked with bowling three consecutive overs through the powerplay, the right-armer responded magnificently. After conceding boundaries off her opening over's final two deliveries, she tightened the screws dramatically. Her next two overs yielded merely two runs while accounting for Beth Mooney, who miscued a delivery straight into the off-side fielder's hands.

The fifth over produced a maiden to Phoebe Litchfield, leaving the young left-hander stranded on nought for nine deliveries. Australia's scoring rate had been stifled to suffocation point. Though they counter-punched with 35 runs across the next two overs, the damage to their momentum proved irreversible.

At 68 for 2 after seven overs, Australia harboured hopes of a competitive total. Those aspirations evaporated spectacularly as India's bowling unit, led by the impressive Arundhati, orchestrated a stunning collapse. The medium-pacer first accounted for Ellyse Perry, brilliantly pouched by a back-pedaling Harmanpreet Kaur at mid-off. With the very next over's first delivery, Arundhati trapped Litchfield with another skier safely held by wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh.

Between these dismissals, Ashleigh Gardner fell to Deepti Sharma with a tame chip to midwicket. From a position of relative comfort, Australia had nosedived to 68 for 5 before the innings' halfway point. The hosts' last eight wickets tumbled for a paltry 65 runs, marking only the sixth instance in their T20I history of being bowled out batting first.

Chasing a revised target under gathering clouds, India adopted an aggressive approach from the outset. Shafali Verma launched Kim Garth's second delivery high over mid-off for six, signaling intent. Though Molineux claimed Shafali with her very first delivery as captain, the damage had been inflicted. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues ensured India reached 50 for 1 in 5.1 overs, crucially completing the minimum required for a result just as rain forced everyone off.

Molineux's final over encapsulated the evening's drama. Her first ball removed Shafali but the remaining five deliveries hemorrhaged 13 runs as Rodrigues opened her account with a boundary and Mandhana struck consecutive fours. By the time the heavens opened, India sat comfortably ahead on DLS calculations at 50 for 1, 21 runs clear of the required par score.

Brief scores: Australia 133 in 18 overs (Georgia Wareham 30; Arundhati Reddy 4-22, Renuka Thakur 2-14) lost to India 50/1 in 5.1 overs (Shafali Verma 21) by nine wickets [DLS Method]