Two powerhouses of international cricket, India and Australia will lock horns in the first of two Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals on February 23 (Thursday). One of the greatest on-field rivalries in world cricket, India vs Australia always sets the stage on fire, be it men’s or women’s cricket. The Women in Blue is ready for the challenge as they face their greatest adversary, the Meg Lanning-led Australia. The mighty Aussies are the reigning champions of the title and have yet to be defeated in the ongoing marquee tournament.
India encountered the Aussies in the finals of the T20 World Cup in 2020 but was outmatched by Lanning and her team. The Aussies smashed India by 85 runs in Melbourne to lift the trophy. And, this time Indian women will be keen to exact revenge on Australia. Indian women are bracing for a formidable challenge and they are well aware of the task ahead.
The Indian team is placed in the second spot in Group B after registering comprehensive wins against Pakistan, West Indies, and Ireland. These wins would give a big boost to the Women in Blue. Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will be confident in their plans and strategies. Notably, the Women in Blue have never won a T20 World Cup knockout, and they will be determined to make history this time around.
Both teams met in December 2022 in a five-match T20 series in India where dominant Australia came through as winners (4-1) but the Indians pushed the side from down under close in every one of the four defeats. The five-match series gave us a lot of confidence, and the brand of cricket we played in that particular series was something which gave us a lot of confidence, admitted the Indian captain. We always enjoy whenever we play against Australia and no matter, if we play against them in semis or any other tournament, we always want to give 100 percent, added Harmanpreet.
Beth Mooney expressed that she is expecting the semifinal to be a huge contest and her side is not expecting it to be easy by any means. Indian women have pushed us significantly in the last few years, and they have a bunch of match-winners in that line-up as well, added the Australian opener.
Australia has only lost two matches, in any format, since March 2021. Interestingly, both defeats were at the hands of India. India would devise a stringent game plan against the Aussies and potentially secure a victory.
