Women's T20 World Cup 2020: Australia vs India, Match 1 Preview: Harmanpreet Kaur and Co to endure an uphill task of toppling the defending champions

The extravaganza and razmataz of the Women’s T20 World Cup will finally kick off with two stalwarts– Australia and India slated to lock horns at Sydney Showground Stadium on 21 February. The encounter is touted to be an enthralling one as the defending champions Australia Women– in the pursuit of adding another trophy in the purse– will face off against a robust India Women squad. The home advantage will surely be on the Aussies’ side but the threat of Women in Blue wreaking havoc on the hosts will undoubtedly loom over Meg Lanning and her troops.

However, in their hunt for a fifth T20 World Cup trophy, Australia Women will try to replicate the performance which they put up against India Women in the recent Tri-Nation Women’s T20 final. To counter the wrath of India Women’s bowling force, the Aussie side is equipped with many batting giants in their arsenal.

The trio of Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning will be at the helm of their batting force with the solitary objective of putting pressure on the opposition’s bowling attack from the word go. Despite having a relatively young bowling lineup, Australia Women will probably be unfazed due to their excellent batting depth– something which will ensure that the pressure does not compound on the Aussie squad in their T20 World Cup trail.

India Women, on the other hand, in their pursuit of maiden T20 World Cup trophy, will be eager to thump the defending champions to start their campaign on a high. Bolstered with two eager prodigies who eager to prove themselves– the 16-year-old duo of Richa Ghosh and Shafali Varma will be aiming to shine at the international stage. The young guns of India Women will be incorporated with several seniors of the squad including Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been assigned the duties of leading the Women in Blue from the front.

Along with the batting brilliance of Kaur, all eyes will be on the swashbuckling batswoman Smriti Mandhana to emerged as her side’s talisman in the marquee event. An impressive batting record, consistent performances and impeccable technique– Mandhana possesses everything which can lead her to etch herself as one of the best-performing players of the T20 World Cup. The left-hander, who has 12 half-centuries under her belt in T20 Internationals, will be hoping to smash her maiden ton and play a pivotal role in India Women’s T20 World Cup expedition.

Team Combination

Australia Women

Australia Women are equipped with many batting stalwarts who are competent in changing the course of the match single-handedly. Beth Mooney, who smashed 71* and 50 against India and England in the Women’s Tri-Nation series, is expected to propel her side’s batting lineup.

Another batswoman, who can deliver despite having a poor outing in the Tri-Nation series is Alyssa Healy. The wicket-keeper batswoman has the experience of playing 106 T20Is where she has amassed 1824 including a ton and nine half-centuries.

The bowling force of Australia Women will be steered by the likes of Jess Jonassen and Megan Schutt. The Meg Lanning-led side is anticipated to emerge victorious against India Women due to the home advantage and their past record against the Blues. In the five previous matches, Australia Women have trounced the Women in Blue thrice.

Probable XI: Alyssa Healy (WK), Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Meg Lanning (C), Ellyse Perry, Rachael Haynes, Sophie Molineux, Nicola Carey, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt.

India Women

The trio of Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh will be heading the top-order batting force of the Women in Blue, coupled with Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur down the order. In their previous encounter against Australia Women in the Tri-Nation finals, Madhana’s impressive 66-run knock went down the drain as India Women suffered a batting collapse post the left-hander’s departure.

To skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s disdain, no other batswoman was able to stick to the crease for a prolonged period of time. India Women’s bowling force will be steered by the likes of Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

28-year-old Gayakwad has flaunted her spin forte diligently in her recent matches, picking up eight wickets in her last five expeditions with India Women in the Tri-Nation Series. With spin bowling touted to play a pivotal role in the Women in Blue’s route to triumph in the tournament, Gayakwad will be eager to stand apart with her left-arm orthodox bowling.

Probable XI: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Veda Krishnamurthy/Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Shikha Pandey, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav

Focus will be on

Ellyse Perry (Australia Women)

Australia Women’s star all-rounder Ellyse Perry will be aiming to put up an impressive show with both bat and ball. The right-handed all-rounder, who has a vast experience of playing 116 T20 Internationals which includes four half-centuries, will play a crucial role in her side’s title defence.

Despite a mediocre display in the Tri-Nation series, the 29-year-old has the calibre of turning the tables in her side’s favour at any point of time. In a T20 career spanning over more than a decade, Perry has amassed 1192 runs along with scalping 113 wickets at an economy of 5.87. Her presence would be vital along with other stalwarts like Lanning and Healy.

Smriti Mandhana (India Women)

All eyes will be one Smriti Mandhana to produce a whirlwind knock for India Women and pave them to victory in order to start their campaign on a winning note. It will be an uphill task for any batswoman including Mandhana to put up a dominant show against the defending champions.

The left-hander has been the leading run-scorer in the world since the last T20 WC and has amassed two half-centuries in her last five outings. Poonam Yadav, who claimed a three-wicket haul in the warm-up game against West Indies, will also be aiming to replicate her performance.

Head to Head

Played – 17 | Won by Australia Women – 12 | Won by India Women – 5| Tied – 0 | No result – 0

Stat Attack

3 – Smriti Mandhana has three 40+ scores in her last five outings for India Women. However, she is yet to score a ton in the shortest format of the game.

3 – Australia Women have trounced India Women thrice in the previous five encounters between both the teams.

8 – India’s Rajeshwari Gayakwad has eight scalps under her belt in her last five matches for India Women.

Broadcast details

TV – Star Sports

Live streaming – Hotstar

Match Timings – 07:00 pm (local), 1:30 pm (IST)