India defeated Australia by nine wickets in the first women’s T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series here on Friday.

Pacer Titas Sadhu took four wickets as the hosts bowled out the Australians for 141 in 19.2 overs and then chased down the target in 17.4 overs for an easy win.

Phoebe Litchfield was the top-scorer for the visitors with a 49.

For India, openers Shafali Verma (64 not out off 44 balls) and Smriti Mandhana (54 off 52 balls) came up with fine efforts, adding 137 runs in just 15.2 overs.

Earlier, Titas’s career-best 4/17, Deepti Sharma’s 2/24 and Shreyanka Patil’s 2/19 helped India Women bowl out Australia.

While Sadhu rocked Australia with a three-wicket opening burst, Litchfield and Ellyse Perry (37) led the fightback for the visitors with a 79-run stand for the fifth wicket.

However, Australia, who lost wickets in clusters on either side of the fifth wicket stand, were bowled out in 19.2 overs.

Titas returned 3-0-8-3 in her first spell in the Powerplay, accounting for Beth Mooney (17), Tahlia McGrath (0) and Ashleigh Gardner (0).

The 19-year-old right-arm pacer, who hails from Chinsurah in Bengal, then returned for her final over — 18th of the innings — and found further success dismissing Annabel Sutherland (12) for her fourth scalp of the night.

With inputs from PTI