Women cricket

Over the last six years, India and Australia have been involved in some of the most iconic games in women's white-ball history.

With their memorable two-wicket win in Mackay, a day after they were at the receiving end of an equally crushing last-ball defeat, this India aren't mere pushovers anymore against arguably the most indomitable team women's cricket has witnessed. And despite Harmanpreet's valiant 43-ball 65 and a narrow defeat, India showcased that even in the shortest format they aren't too far behind from dethroning Australia. Australia picked themselves up admirably, and ran through the next Championship cycle - starting with a 3-0 whitewash of India in India - dropping just one game. But the world record 86,174 crowd that turned up to fill the iconic MCG - incidentally on International Women's Day - proved that this growing rivalry had enough promise to draw large audiences to women's cricket as well. Over the last six years, India and Australia have been involved in some of the most iconic games in women's white-ball history. It came in a losing cause, and a full year and a half before the nation would wake up to women's cricket following Harmanpreet Kaur's epochal 171 against the same opponents, but it sowed the seeds of an era-defining rivalry nonetheless.