New Delhi: A familiar story unfolded. Australia once again proved to be India’s stumbling block. For years, knockout stages of ICC tournaments were where Australia’s superiority ended India’s dreams. This time, however, India’s campaign was cut short even before the semi-finals and their fate was sealed in the group stage.Australia's Georgia Wareham (L) and Ashleigh Gardner celebrate their win over India at the T20 World Cup. (AFP)Australia, unbeaten in the tournament, cruised to a six-wicket victory at Lord’s on Sunday to book their place in the semi-finals, while India’s exit was confirmed after South Africa finished second in Group 1 after beating Bangladesh.In the semis, Australia will face West Indies on Tuesday and hosts England will take on South Africa on Thursday.Only late last year, India scripted one of their finest victories over Australia in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, changing the narrative that had dominated for years. However, there was to be no repeat on Sunday.Much like the rest of the tournament, India’s bowlers struggled to sustain the pressure despite making early inroads. They removed Georgia Voll (4), Phoebe Litchfield (24) and Beth Mooney (22), but could not capitalise on the promising start while defending 170/4.Ash Gardner (53*-29b) and Ellyse Perry (56-38b) then reminded everyone why they are two of the most formidable allrounders in world cricket. Their match-defining 100-run partnership drained the contest of any suspense and effectively knocked the wind out of India’s sails. The Aussies finished at 172/5 with an over to spare.The gap between the two sides may be narrowing, but Australia showed that when it mattered the most, they still remain a step ahead.India won the toss and batted but their innings threatened to fizzle out before skipper Harmanpreet Kaur turned on the heat against Australia. After a quiet tournament, she found her touch against an opposition she has so often shone against, smashing a stunning 56 off 27 balls to propel India to a competitive total.India made one change to the XI, picking Kranti Gaud ahead of Nandani Sharma despite the latter being India’s leading wicket-taking seamer in the tournament. Gaud proved to be expensive and ended up bowling just one over.Barring Harmanpreet, the batters never quite found top gear for much of the innings. Shafali Verma provided an early burst with a brisk 34 but failed to convert her start, while Mandhana (38) and Jemimah Rodrigues (34) stitched together useful contributions though they were unable to consistently accelerate.Harmanpreet shifted gears effortlessly, taking the attack to the Australian bowlers from the get go. Her half-century, reached in just 25 deliveries, is the fastest by an Indian batter in Women’s T20 World Cup history, surpassing her own previous record of a 27-ball fifty against Sri Lanka in 2024.The late assault boosted the innings. India plundered 36 runs from the final two overs. Harmanpreet capped her innings by hitting Sophie Molineux for three sixes in a row in the final over.From what had looked like a modest total on a sluggish surface, India suddenly had 170 on board – a score that had seemed unlikely until the Indian captain produced yet another aggressive innings against her favourite World Cup opponents. Eventually, that did not prove enough.