HIGHLIGHTS

Smriti Mandhana scored a stylish 67 off 41 balls to take India to decent 152.

Pandey and Rumeli Dhar gave away 53 runs in 4 overs combined.

Jhulan Goswami picked three scalps for 30 but lacked support from the other end.

Mooney (45 off 32 balls) and Villani (39 off 33 balls) added 79 runs for third wicket after a poor start for Aussies.

Villani had four hits to the fence.

Goswami in her second spell, removed the dangerous Mooney, after she was caught by Shikha Pandey but by then Australia had reached 108 in the 13th over.

In the very next over, legspinner Poonam Yadav caught Villani off her own bowling, when the batswoman came down the track and unsuccessfully jabbed at a delivery

that stopped on her.

But then skipper Meg Lanning (35 not out in 25 balls) and Rachael Haynes (12 not out) ensured that no further damaged was done and took the side home with 11 balls to spare.

Lanning, who had not scored big in the One Days, looked in good touch and her knock was laced with four boundaries and a six.

Earlier, Mandhana struck 11 boundaries and two sixes but India failed to capitalise on a strong platform provided by her and Mithali Raj (18 off 27 balls). They added 72 runs in 9.3 overs.

The hosts scored 47 in the Powerplay as Mandhana played shots all around the park en route her career-best score in T20 cricket.

While veteran Raj played out a maiden first over, it was Mandhana, who gave the team the much-needed momentum, after hitting two fours in the second over off spinner Gardner.

Mandhana in an over from left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen hit two fours and a six down the ground. She notched up her fifty in just 30 balls after a six over third man with Mithali playing a second fiddle.

After Mithali was dismissed in the 1Oth over, Mandhana continued her onslaught and sloppy fielding by the Aussies too aided. MUMBAI: Cricketer Hardik Pandya today refuted the allegations that he had made derogatory and insulting comments on Twitter, claiming that the tweet in question was posted by a fake account using his name and display image.

The IPL commences on April 7 with the title holders taking on arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings here at their den, the Wankhede Stadium.

In a clarification after a court's direction to file a case against him following a petition accusing him of negative comments against the architect of Constitution, Dr B R Ambedkar, Pandya said he had utmost respect for Ambedkar, the Indian Constitution and the many communities that call India their home.

“I would not indulge in making any statement which is derogatory and/or which insults the sentiments of any community,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

“I use only my verified Twitter handle to make official communications via Twitter and the said tweet was posted by a spurious account, pretending to be me,” he further said.

It may be recalled that a special court for SC/ST here had directed the police to file a case against Pandya after an advocate of Jodhpur, D R Meghwal, filed a complaint in the court against Pandya following a comment against Ambedkar on his Twitter account, which was actually a parody account, being used by somebody else.

The comment read, “which Ambedkar??? The one who drafted a cross law and Constitution or the one who spread a disease called reservation.” Offended by the comment, Meghwal approached the police to file a complaint against him failing which, he moved the court praying for direction to the police. AUCKLAND: Captain Kane Williamson's unbeaten 91 set New Zealand up for a commanding lead after England were skittled for one of the lowest scores in their history in the first Test in Auckland on Thursday.

At stumps on day one in the first day-night Test in New Zealand, the Black Caps were 175 for three and 117 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand.

England were left red-faced when they failed to cope with a swing bowling masterclass by Trent Boult and Tim Southee to be all out for just 58 after a mere 20.4 overs in Auckland.

They were flirting with the world-record low of 26, set by New Zealand on the same ground against England in 1955, until number nine batsman Craig Overton spared their blushes with an unbeaten 33 at the end.

Apart from Stuart Broad taking his 400th Test wicket it was a bleak day for the tourists, who registered their sixth lowest total in Tests.

But for New Zealand, Williamson commanded the Test from the moment he won the toss and opted to bowl.

He featured in the field with a superb diving catch in the gully to remove Broad, and ended the day closing in on a new record for New Zealand Test centuries.

He currently shares the record of 17 centuries with Ross Taylor and the late Martin Crowe.

Williamson went to the middle after the early dismissal of Jeet Raval, when New Zealand were one for eight, and put on 84 with Tom Latham for the second wicket.

Latham had made a patient 26 off 112 deliveries but when play entered the difficult daylight-to-twilight zone he was gone in the first over after dinner to give Broad his milestone scalp.

Williamson had a nervous moment on 64 when Chris Woakes claimed a straight drive from Taylor had deflected off his hand to the stumps, with Williamson backing up out of his crease.

But replays proved inconclusive and the third umpire ruled in favour of the batsman.

Taylor never looked completely at ease and on 20 he was caught at mid-wicket by Woakes to give England's most successful Test bowler, James Anderson, his 525th career dismissal.

Henry Nicholls joined Williamson and was unbeaten on 24 at stumps with the pair putting on 52 for the fourth wicket.

Boult, who finished the England innings with a careerbest six for 32, started their downfall when he had Alastair Cook out for five in the fifth over.

There followed a steady stream of batsmen going to and from the crease, five of them departing with a duck and only Mark Stoneman (11) able to join Overton with double figures.

After Cook, Boult claimed Joe Root for a six-ball duck, Dawid Malan for two, Ben Stokes -- who faced eight deliveries on his return to Test cricket -- for a duck, Chris Woakes (5) and James Anderson (1).

Southee, who finished with four for 25, kept up the carnage with the wickets of Stoneman, plus Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad, who were each dismissed without scoring.