WWC 2017: IND v AUS, Semi-final 2 Preview: India to face a herculean task against the mighty Aussies

The business end of the tournament is here and this is where the games get a lot more exciting. The quality of cricket is at its best and a last ball encounter is pretty much on cards. We saw a spectacular rendition from both South Africa and England the other day and another encounter of such calibre is definitely on.

Mithali Raj and her troops have been spectacular through out the tournament, barring those two games against South Africa and Australia. Against a very strong New Zealand side, they pulled their A game into play and dismantled the opposition. That indeed was a brilliant way to enter the semi-finals and now they face an uphill task against the same side which clobbered them big time in the 2005 ICC Women’s World Cup final.

Aussie skipper Meg Lanning‘s fitness is a major concern for the side but the medical squad is giving their best shot to get her all set on time. She indeed is the backbone of the side alongside Ellyse Perry, who currently is the leading run scorer of the tournament. Aussies definitely are the favourites to seal a berth for the Lord’s, but India’s current form just makes things interesting.

Probable Playing XI

India

Mithali Raj (C), Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur, Punam Raut, Smriti Mandhana, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Sushma Verma (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Veda Krishnamurthy, Deepti Sharma

Australia

Rachael Haynes/Meg Lanning (C), Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Alex Blackwell, Alyssa Healy (wk), Ellyse Perry, Jess Jonassen, Nicole Bolton, Beth Mooney, Kristen Beams, Ashleigh Gardner

Focus will be on

Jhulan Goswami (India)

WODI history’s all time highest wicket-taker Jhulan Goswami is always a major threat to any side. Though she hasn’t been at her best this tournament, her experience is something the skipper would be banking on to get wickets at the top and restrict the run flow in the middle. She’s an outright legend of the game and this is a do-or-die moment that she’ll want to make it count.

Ellyse Perry (Australia)

Australia’s leading run-scorer this tournament, Perry has been remarkable throughout the course of the tournament. With 366 runs in 7 games, she averages an astonishing 91.50 in this World Cup and her skipper will be expecting two more good performances, which would almost confirm them the title.

Playing combinations

India

Smriti Mandhana, Punam Raut and Mithali Raj are set to comprise the top 3. Deepti Sharma also stands a chance of coming in at number 3, but Mithali might walk out ahead of Sharma considering the importance of this game. Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy and Sushma Verma have contributed significantly in the middle order but the toughest task awaits them on Thursday.

Goswami and Shikha Pandey will be sharing the new ball and Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who picked a five-fer coming in for Ekta Bisht, is set to retain her place. Harmanpreet, Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav will be very crucial in the middle overs and they have to ensure their skipper is not breaking her head to complete the 50 overs quota.

Australia

The on song Nicole Bolton and Beth Mooney will open the batting for the Aussies. Given Meg Lanning returns, she will bat at number 3 with Perry dropping back to number 4. Elyse Villani, Alex Blackwell, Alyssa Healy barely got time on the crease, but this is a serious batting line up that they have which can give nightmares to all bowling units.

Megan Schutt and Perry might be sharing the new ball with a left-arm spinning option in Jess Jonassen available. Ashleigh Gardner, Kristen Beams and Elyse Villani have been very economical in the opportunities they got and since this is a knock-out game, they have to ensure they’re not rusty by any stretch of the imagination.

Stat Attack

1 – Meg Lanning needs one run to complete 3,000 runs in WODI cricket.

11 – Mithali Raj has 11 fifty-plus scores in World Cup cricket, second only to Kiwi legend Debbie Hockley who had surpassed that mark 12 times.