India Women pulled off a stunning five-wicket win over Australia Women in the second semifinal of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, October 30. With this victory, India ended Australia’s incredible 15-match unbeaten run in World Cup matches.
India lost the toss again and Australian captain Alyssa Healy requested them to bowl first. The Aussies also had their way with the batting conditions and they registered a good total of 338. Phoebe Litchfield was on the frontline with an outstanding 119 off 93 balls and Ellyse Perry (77 off 88) and Ashleigh Gardner (63 off 45) provided some useful runs to provide a huge target.
India was trailing 339 and made a nervous beginning when Shafali Verma had 10 and Smriti Mandhana 24. But Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur stabilized the maintaining as they combined in a match winning 167 runs. Jemimah was not defeated on 127 out of 134 balls, and Harmanpreet played a fluent 89 out of 88 balls to take India to a historic victory.
Jemimah’s exceptional innings now stands among the top five highest individual scores by an Indian in ODI World Cup knockout matches, across both men’s and women’s cricket. Her calm and composed knock under pressure was one of the biggest reasons behind India’s remarkable chase.
5. Sourav Ganguly (111*)
In the 2003 world cup, Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian captain, scored an excellent unbeaten 111 out of 114 balls against Kenya during the 2003 world cup semi final at Durban. India batted first, scoring 270 runs in 50 overs, Ganguly being at the frontline. He hit five fours and five sixes and formed good 103 runs partnership with Sachin Tendulkar who made 83.
India proceeded to win the match by a settled margin of 91 runs with Kenya only getting 179 in response. His coolness and control during pressure were evident by the fact that Ganguly not only led India to the final, but also with his innings. Even though he was unable to provide the same form in the final against Australia, his century in the semifinal against Australia still stands among his finest hits in the position of captain.
4. Virat Kohli (117)
New Zealand In the 2023 world cup semifinal at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, Virat Kohli picked an amazing 117 off 113 balls. His knock assisted India to score a colossal 397 out 4 because he had decided to go first. This was also the innings that Kohli set a historic record, being the first player to score 50 ODI centuries, and he broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar.
He had nine boundaries and two sixes in his innings and he appeared to be in total control before he was dismissed by Tim Southee. This was the foundation of the overwhelming victory of India, but Kohli failed to score heavily in the last match with Australia. This performance is one of the best moments of his career in the World Cup.
3. Jemimah Rodrigues (127*)
Jemimiah Rodrigues who scored 127 off 134 balls in the semifinal of the 2025 world cup against Australia played her life innings in that game. India lost an early wicket in the pursuit of a hard target of 339, though the innings was held together by Jemimiah. She remained calm even when under pressure, she hit 14 fours and took a record time of above three hours at the bat to lead India to a record win.
Her 167 run association with captain Harmanpreet Kaur transformed the game altogether. Jemimah also developed small yet essential stands with Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh and Amanjot Kaur even after Harmanpreet was dismissed, and played smart cricket. This knock will be recalled as a best of the best chases in the history of women world cup.
2. Rohit Sharma (137)
Rohit Sharma scored 137 out of 126 balls in the quarter final of the 2015 world cup at Melbourne on Bangladesh. He opened his innings well and he had a total of 14 fours and three sixes. His century made sure that India scored a great total of 302 6 on a large scale.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Opposition | Venue | Year |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 171* | 115 | 20 | 7 | Australia | Derby | 2017 |
| Rohit Sharma | 137 | 126 | 14 | 3 | Bangladesh | Melbourne | 2015 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | 127* | 134 | 14 | 0 | Australia | Navi Mumbai | 2025 |
| Virat Kohli | 117 | 113 | 9 | 2 | New Zealand | Wankhede | 2023 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 111* | 114 | 5 | 5 | Kenya | Durban | 2003 |
Rohit also won some key alliances with Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina and performed well in the innings. His innings were an advantage to India and it was backed by the other bowlers who bowled out Bangladesh at 193. The 109 run win guaranteed the Indian place in the semi-finals and the relevance of Rohit as a big-match player.
1. Harmanpreet Kaur (171*)
In the semifinal of the 2017 Women world cup in Derby, Harmanpreet Kaur became some of the most memorable players in the history of women cricket when she hit an unscored 171 with only 115 balls in the match against Australia. Her strong strike left the bowlers of Australia in a fix because India was 281 to 4 in 42 overs. And she struck 20 fours and seven sixes in a gorgeous batting performance.
Harmanpreet took over and transformed the course of the game as India was performing poorly. She not only brought India to a great total but also inspired the team to a famous 36-run victory by her knock. It is also one of the best innings in a knock out match of a world cup.
