Arundhati Reddy Says India Believe They Can Beat Anyone After SCG Win
India’s women’s team have carried forward the confidence of their recent global success, according to Arundhati Reddy, after a commanding start to their Australia tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The visitors bowled out Australia women's national cricket team for 133, with Reddy claiming a career-best 4 for 22. India were comfortably ahead of the DLS target when rain halted their chase shortly after the minimum five overs were completed, sealing a 21-run victory.
“I think the Indian team has been playing really good cricket in the last few years,” Reddy said. “We’ve always come very close and not won games, but I think there’s a belief in the team now that we can beat anybody in this world. That confidence helps us and we want to continue that.”
Kaur’s Catch Turns the Tide
Australia looked well placed at 68 for 2 after seven overs despite losing two wickets in the powerplay. But a pivotal moment came when captain Harmanpreet Kaur produced a superb catch to dismiss Ellyse Perry off Reddy’s bowling.
The wicket triggered a dramatic collapse of 8 for 65, with the last five wickets tumbling for just 12 runs after a brief recovery between Georgia Wareham and Nicola Carey.
“Perry is a big wicket, you want to get her early and I think that catch changed the momentum for us,” Reddy said. “She’s a wonderful fielder and it was great that she took that one and gave us the momentum going ahead.”
Renuka’s Powerplay Excellence
Reddy also lauded the impact of Renuka Singh, who delivered three consecutive overs in the powerplay, including a maiden to Phoebe Litchfield.
“I thought she was outstanding today,” Reddy said. “To bowl a maiden, and to Phoebe Litchfield, that was an extraordinary over. She’s been a quality player for India for quite a few years and again showed her experience today.
“In between overs, we were chatting about the right lengths to hit on these wickets for our type of bowlers. A lot of credit should go to her. That spell was outstanding.”
Australia Brings Out the Best in Reddy
The four-wicket haul marked Reddy’s second consecutive career-best performance in Australia, following her 4 for 26 in an ODI at the WACA Ground in 2024, where she removed the top four batters — Litchfield, Perry, Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney.
“I love Australia, it’s the country I enjoy the most,” she said. “Growing up I used to watch a lot of Test matches, Ashes in Australia, and always wanted to come here and play cricket. I’ve started off well and hopefully I’ll continue doing it.”
Series Stakes
India have won just one previous bilateral series in Australia — a 2-1 T20I triumph in 2016 — and could clinch the T20 leg of the current multi-format tour in Canberra on Thursday.
The overall series will be decided via a points system across three formats, with two points awarded for each white-ball match and four for a Test victory, or two for a draw — adding further significance to India’s strong start.