At least the pattern was changed. After losing the first two matches of the tri-series while batting first, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team lost after bowling first on Monday.

But the bigger problems remained. Bowlers unable to contain the opposition batting, conceding far too many boundaries even outside the powerplay. Fielders fumbling on the field. And batters unable to stitch together big partnerships or dominate the bowlers.

The women in blue suffered their six consecutive defeat on home soil.

While the positives have been hard to come by, India can look back at the fourth match of the T20 tri-series, safe in the knowledge that 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues is developing into a solid international cricketer.

Fighting half century

There was plenty of chatter after India’ first two batting efforts in this series that, perhaps, opening with Mithali Raj was not the best of options. With the attacking intent of Smriti Mandhana holding India in good stead, Raj’s more sedate approach came in for criticism. The numbers suggested that India’s best-ever batter is better off in the middle overs of a T20 than playing dot balls in the powerplay.

And on cue, India chose to open the batting with Rodrigues and Mandhana. The target of 187 in a must-win match was always going to be daunting and if India had any chance of overcoming it, Mandhana had to play one of her special innings. As it turned out, Megan Schutt translated her economical bowling on her India tour into taking wickets at the top, completing her hat-trick – the first ever by an Australian bowler in women’s T20Is – that accounted for Mandhana, Raj and an over-eager Deepti Sharma.

Amid this all, Rodrigues was making a statement of sorts. She started her innings with back-to-back boundaries of Schutt, of all bowlers, displaying a fearless attitude against one of the best bowlers going around in the circuit today.

The Mumbai teenager used her Adam Gilchrist-esque grip to good use, clearing the fielders inside the circle and generating power that belied her physique, thanks to her ability to get into position early. She also has the knack to drop-and-run, something that rest of India’s top order is not comfortable doing, as evidenced by the numerous yes-no situations when Rodrigues was batting or at the non-striker’s end.

With a sizeable local present to cheer her on with chants of “Jemi, Jemi!” India’s most promising young talent reached her first international half century, surely the beginning of many more such occasions.

“Exciting talent,” was how Australian captain Meg Lanning described Rodrigues. “Comes out and plays without fear, and we know when we’re bowling to her we have to get it right or we’ll be going the journey. That’s exciting for the game, India have a few of those players coming through, which is really good.

Natural athlete

And it’s not just her batting that has been impressive in her short international career that started with a match-defining partnership in South Africa, alongside Raj. Rodrigues is a natural athlete on the field. It wouldn’t actually be an exaggeration to say that she is the most comfortable among the Indian squad when it comes to diving around on the cricket field.

Late in Australia’s innings, as Elyse Villani and Beth Mooney were piling on the runs during a 100-plus stand, Rodrigues put in a wonderful effort at deep midwicket to restrict Villani to two runs and keep her on strike. And off the next ball she took a sharp catch running forward to send that very batter back. It was just one of the occasions during which she showed she was a cut above the rest of the Indian fielding lineup. She showed she belonged to the generation of cricketers who can slide around with ease, and take catches with clinical professionalism.

India are surely in the middle of a rebuilding phase, trying to make the most of the World Cup runner-up position achieved by the old guard while ushering in teenagers whenever possible and Rodrigues once again proved she is the lynchpin of the next-gen of Indian women cricketers.