This year’s T20 World Cup holds significant importance for the Indian team. In the context of this series, the Indian team aims to deliver its best performance against the six-time world champions, Australia. Having faced defeat in the T20 series against England, the Indian team is eager to make a strong comeback after the 0-3 loss in the ODI series. While they managed to secure a victory against a formidable Australia in the lone Test match, sustaining their excellent form remains a challenge.
The series between the women’s teams of India and Australia is set to commence with the first of three T20 matches on Friday, January 5th. The teams will face each other at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. India, having faced a 0-3 defeat in the ODI series, seeks redemption. Despite winning the lone Test match against Australia, the team needs to carry forward their good performances and address improvements in playing against the white ball in limited-overs cricket.
Concerns arise from subpar fielding in the ODIs, particularly in the second match against Australia, where the Indian team missed several catches, leading to a narrow three-run loss. In the third ODI, Australia posted a massive score of 338 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, with India falling short at 148 runs. The first ODI saw India losing by six wickets. In the past two matches, India has dropped a total of eight catches.
Examining the head-to-head record, India and Australia have played 31 matches to date. India has managed to win only six of these encounters, while Australia has emerged victorious in 23 matches. One match ended in a tie, and one had no result. In matches played in India, the home team has secured only one win out of 11, facing defeat in 10 matches.
For the T20 series, the squads are as follows: India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Thakur Singh, Mannat Kishore, Kanika Ahuja, Minnu Mani, Yastika Bhatia, Saika Ishaq, Titasi Sadhu.
Australia: Phoebe Litchfield, Elisa Healy (Wicketkeeper/Captain), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt, Grace Harris, Heather Graham, Darcie Brown, Jess Jonassen.
