India’s skipper Harmanpreet Kaur had a tough moment early in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 semi-final against Australia at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, when she dropped a catch of Australian captain Alyssa Healy. The dropped chance came in the third over after Healy won the toss and chose to bat first.
Renuka Singh Thakur bowled a fuller delivery outside off, prompting Healy to go for a lofted shot. The ball, however, caught the upper edge of her bat and flew toward mid-off. Harmanpreet sprinted to her right and got both hands on it but couldn’t hold on.
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Fortunately for India, the missed opportunity didn’t prove costly. Just a few overs later, Kranti Goud delivered the breakthrough in the sixth over. Bowling a good-length delivery just outside off, she got the ball to nip back slightly. Healy, attempting a gentle punch, edged it onto her stumps, walking back after scoring modestly.
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The dismissal also continued Kranti Goud’s dominance over Alyssa Healy. In five ODI innings between them, Kranti has dismissed Healy four times, conceding just 74 runs off 63 balls. Healy averages only 18.5 against her, with a strike rate of 117.46, hitting 13 fours and a solitary six.
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Australia, seven-time world champions, entered the semifinal unbeaten, with six wins and one washout from the group stage. Meanwhile, India, two-time runners-up (2005 and 2017), carried the memory of their famous 2017 semifinal win over Australia — a game that announced Harmanpreet’s brilliance on the global stage.
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However, since that defeat, Australia have been unstoppable, stringing together 15 consecutive ODI World Cup wins. The high-stakes clash at DY Patil now determines who meets South Africa in Sunday’s final — as India aim to script history and end Australia’s dominant run.
