Poonam Yadav spins India to resounding win vs Australia in T20 World Cup opener

Poonam Yadav bowled a magical spell in her comeback game to steer India to a comfortable 17-run win over defending champions Australia in the opening match of the Women's T20 World Cup in Sydney on Friday. (Source: AP)

Put in to bat, India struggled to a below par 132. (Source: T20 World Cup Twitter)

Poonam (4/19 in 4 overs) foxed the Aussies with her googlies, turning the match decisively into her team's favour. (Source: AP)

Australia, who have won the competition four times in six editions, were all out for 115 in 19.5 overs. (Source: AP)

Shikha Pandey, the 28-year-old from Agra, was on a hat-trick but narrowly missed out as wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia dropped a difficult chance. (Source: T20 World Cup Twitter)

The tournament-opener saw a record 13,000 plus attendance with a sizeable chunk supporting India. (Source: T20 World Cup Twitter)

India next play against Bangladesh in Perth on February 24. (Source: AP)