Australia vs India: Would want team to take more responsibility, says Harmanpreet Kaur

Following a loss to Australia in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Carrara Oval on Saturday, skipper of the Indian women's cricket team, Harmanpreet Kaur said that the squad has to take more responsibility.

In a low-scoring thriller, Australia's batsmen kept their nerve to overcome India by four wickets. With one match to spare, the host team chased down a target of 119 in 19.1 overs to win the multi-format series.

Australia won the ODI series 2-1, drew the Test, and now has won the series with this win in the second T20I. 

Harmanpreet Kaur, speaking at the post-match presentation, said: "We were 20 runs short, but the wicket wasn't an easy one to bat on. We had a good game. We didn't give them easy runs. We fought till the end. Would want the team to take more responsibility."

Batting first, an awaited Pooja Vastrakar cameo was the only silver lining for the Indian team.

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The Australians ran riot after Tayla Vlaeminck removed both openers in the first three overs. Poor shot selection and shambolic running between the wickets characterised India's innings.

However, Vastrakar's appearance (top-scoring with 37* off 26) kept them in the game.

"Pooja has the talent and she gets us runs and wickets whenever we need. That's what we expect from her. We know Australian side is good. You always need to come out with good plans and a good approach against them," the Indian skipper added.

Tahlia McGrath, who scored an undefeated 42, was the driving force behind Australia's victory, while opener Beth Mooney contributed a crucial 34th inning for the hosts. Rajeshwari Gayakwad took three wickets for India, while Shikha Pandey, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma each took one wicket.