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For India, the bowling portion simply cannot spend to unbend due to the fact that the Aussie batting lineup tin consciousness never-ending astatine times. (ICC connected X)
February 21, 2020. That was the past clip Australia mislaid a lucifer astatine the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. It was the opening lucifer of their location World Cup and Meg Lanning’s broadside were facing India astatine Sydney Showground Stadium. A blistering cameo by Shafali Verma astatine the apical of the order, followed by a wily spell of dilatory limb rotation bowling by Poonam Yadav made beingness hard for the astir ascendant broadside successful the women’s game. It was a effect that made Australia wobble a spot successful the aboriginal stages of the tournament, but of course, the champion broadside that they are, they reached the last and dominated India successful beforehand of a grounds assemblage astatine Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Since that blip, the triumph streak for Australia astatine this tourney is present up to 14. If determination were hopes that the conditions successful UAE mightiness beryllium a leveller for different teams to occupation the six-time champions, they person shown wherefore they are the champion successful the concern by adapting rapidly and reeling disconnected 3 large wins successful Group A.
And truthful it is implicit to Harmanpreet Kaur’s India to extremity the streak.
It is not caller territory for them. India ended Australia’s satellite grounds winning streak successful ODIs. Their grounds against Australia successful T20Is is not the greatest, with conscionable 7 wins successful 34 matches. However, 2 of those wins came successful the radical stages of the T20 World Cup (2018 and 2020). In 2023, they came awfully adjacent to beating Australia successful the semifinal. In January this year, they handed Australia 1 of their heaviest defeats with a thumping 9-wicket triumph astatine DY Patil stadium, with Titas Sadhu shining with a four-fer followed by Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma’s 137 opening wicket stand.
On Sunday successful Sharjah, they’d person to instrumentality immoderate benignant of inspiration from these moments due to the fact that thing but a triumph would do. And successful fact, they’d request to triumph large arsenic good to basal a realistic accidental of reaching the semifinals.
India find themselves successful a pickle due to the fact that of their mean commencement to the tournament. A decision against New Zealand wasn’t conscionable morale-crushing but made a dense dent to their Net Run Rate. The triumph against Pakistan was a crawl to the decorativeness enactment that could inactive travel backmost to haunt them. It was lone against Sri Lanka that they managed to click unneurotic successful each 3 departments.
On Sunday successful Sharjah, against a squad they’ve lone beaten 7 times implicit 34 T20Is, India volition request to find immoderate inspiration due to the fact that thing but a triumph would do. (PTI Photo)
After those 3 matches successful Dubai, India not lone person to find a mode to halt the Aussie juggernaut but bash truthful astatine a venue wherever they haven’t yet played whereas their opponents person already played twice. But Australia person immoderate concerns of their own. During their thrashing of Pakistan successful Dubai, skipper Alyssa Healy limped disconnected during the run-chase, aft sustaining an acute close ft wounded portion moving betwixt wickets.
Australia’s manager Shelley Nitschke didn’t uncover excessively overmuch successful presumption of her team’s backup plans oregon whether Healy volition beryllium available, but the crushed they are truthful ascendant is due to the fact that of their depth. Sample this: the World No 2 T20I batter Tahlia McGrath – who volition measurement up arsenic the skipper if Healy misses retired – came into bat astatine No 8 against New Zealand. They person the explosive Grace Harris to perchance unfastened the batting and the World No 1 batter presently successful Beth Mooney who is much than susceptible with the gloves too. Proper riches.
But Australia are good alert of the menace India airs arsenic Nitschke warned. “I deliberation they’re going to travel beauteous hard astatine america similar they do, that’s their benignant of play. We’re surely going to person to beryllium truly tight, peculiarly successful the powerfulness play with the shot … we cognize however bully a squad they are,” the manager said.
It doesn’t assistance Harmanpreet’s broadside that New Zealand alternatively comfortably brushed speech Sri Lanka connected Saturday, and stay successful a amended presumption to suffice due to the fact that they instrumentality connected a deflated Pakistan broadside connected Monday. Even if India bash bushed Australia, Sophie Devine’s broadside volition cognize their equations clearly.
For India, the bowling portion simply cannot spend to unbend due to the fact that the Aussie batting lineup tin consciousness never-ending astatine times. With the bat, Shafali and Smriti indispensable erstwhile again supply a platform. Harmanpreet was sensational against Sri Lanka but she volition request to measurement it up a notch against her favourite opponents.
The Indian captain, during a subdued property conference, said they can’t bash overmuch astir what happens betwixt New Zealand and Pakistan, truthful the cardinal is to enactment successful the contiguous and spot however they tin bushed Australia. Easier said than done, but if anyone tin so occupation the Aussies astatine the large stage, it is this Indian side.
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