On Monday, Megan Schutt's hat-trick is early in India's chase, put paid to the hosts' chances of overhauling the 187-run target and, with it, also ended their chances of qualifying for the T20I tri-series final. Australia continued driving over India's challenge on the tour and registered another win, by 36 runs. The decision to disturb the in-form opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj in the massive run-chase backfired. Jemimah Rodrigues was sent in to open the chase alongside Mandhana. But it took little time for India to realise, that even on a batting wicket, losing early wickets would dampen their chances big time.

It happened, with Mandhana and Raj, both of whom had stroked half-centuries in the previous game, falling off consecutive deliveries in bizarre fashion. While Mandhana had a yorker hitting her back leg and rolling on to the stumps, the latter lazily poked at a delivery outside off and got an inside edge on to the stumps. Schutt, who returned to bowl her hat-trick delivery from the other end, reached the landmark when Deepti Sharma's attempt to pull the delivery over the infield failed, and she offered an easy catch to Amanda Wellington at mid off.

Brief Scores: Australia 186/5 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 71, Elyse Villani 61; Pooja Vastrakar 2-28, Poonam Yadav 1-34) beat India 150/5 in 20 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 50, Anuja Patil 38*; Megan Schutt 3-31, Ashleigh Gardner 1-24) by 36 runs.