India women cricket team suffered a narrow loss at the hands of Australia in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024. India was short of 9 runs in the run chase to reach 152 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 13. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana were left shattered with a heart-wrenching defeat, as the Indian is losing a chance to advance to the semi-finals. During the post-match conference, Harmanpreet reflected on their efforts as they attempted to take every opportunity that arose. As per ESPNcricinfo, she said: "Whatever was in our hands, we were trying to do that, but that’s something not in our control. If we get the opportunity to play another game, that will be great. But otherwise, whoever deserves to be there, that team will be there." Devastated Mandhana sat on the stairs of the dressing room; she was speechless while watching Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh get out quickly. Fast bowler Renuka Singh also seemed shocked. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ICC (@icc) Also Read | Shashi Tharoor Welcomes Sanju Samson With ‘Ponnada’ in Thiruvananthapuram Harmanpreet's 54 off 47 balls brought back memories of similar situations in the previous tournaments where she fought hard but was left without support. India had a similar problem in earlier matches, including the ODI World Cup, Commonwealth Games 2022, and the last Women's T20 World Cup. Outstanding bowling from Renuka and Deepti helped India restrict Australia to 151 runs. They went into the chase in a good fashion, as Shafali Verma scored 20 runs in 13 balls. Smriti couldn't get a going for herself. Harmanpreet and Deepti start holding the innings at one end, but a big blow came in the form of Deepti getting lbw off Sophie Molineux, and the entire game's momentum shifted. The Aussie bowlers strangulated the last 5 overs for the Indians, and won the match by 9 runs. India now hopes that the match on October 14 between Pakistan and New Zealand might end in favor of Pakistan, but their NRR should not surpass to the NRR of India. Then, India will have a chance to be in the semi-finals.