The result also confirmed South Africa’s progression to the semi-finals, while India were eliminated despite a half-century from captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
Chasing 171, Australia paced their innings perfectly in front of a record 27,163 crowd for an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup group-stage match, with Perry and Gardner steering them home after early setbacks.
India had earlier posted 170 for four, led by Kaur’s explosive 56, after a strong opening stand that put them in control for long spells.
But Australia, responding to South Africa’s earlier win over Bangladesh, showed composure in the chase to extend their unbeaten run in the tournament.
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India opted to bat and made a positive start, with Smriti Mandhana striking back-to-back boundaries in the opening over before Shafali Verma joined the attack with a six.
The pair put on 66 for the opening wicket before Sophie Molineux made the breakthrough, bowling Verma for 34.
Jemimah Rodrigues added momentum with a quick 34, but India lost key wickets at regular intervals, including Mandhana for 38.
Kaur anchored the innings superbly, bringing up her fifty off just 25 balls as India pushed past 150, before finishing on 56 in a total of 170 for four.
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Australia’s reply began with intent as Georgia Voll struck a boundary off the first ball, before falling next delivery to Renuka Singh Thakur.
Phoebe Litchfield and Beth Mooney kept the innings steady through the powerplay, but India stayed in the contest through disciplined bowling and tight middle overs.
The turning point came when Perry and Gardner combined in a fluent 100-run stand, accelerating the chase with clean striking and smart rotation.
Gardner provided the early momentum in the partnership, while Perry controlled the tempo, bringing up a rapid half-century as Australia took charge.
Perry fell for 56 late on, but the target was already within reach, with Georgia Wareham finishing the job with six balls to spare.
Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images
