Smriti Mandhana will be a key player for India
India will face Australia in the Gold medal clash of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 on Sunday (7 August) at Edgbaston.
India are coming into this game after securing a thrilling victory by four runs in the semi-finals. The bowlers have turned up in the recent games for the Women in Blue after an impressive performance from the batting unit in the tournament.
On the other hand, Australia are undefeated in their four appearances of the CWG 2022. The Meg Lanning-led side have banked on the vital contributions from their in-form all-rounders.
It will be interesting to see if India finally break the Australian resolve to secure a historic gold medal.
Spotlight: Jemimah Rodrigues
Rodrigues will look to make her mark in the finals
The middle-order batter made a fighting comeback to the Indian team after scoring the bulk of runs in the Women's T20 Challenge 2022.
In the CWG 2022, Rodrigues has garnered 113 runs in four innings at an average of 113. In the semi-finals, the 21-year-old played an unbeaten knock of 44 from 31 balls, which helped India post a competitive score and ultimately win the match.
Key Players
The opening batter of the Indian team, Smriti Mandhana hit 61 off 32 balls in the semi-finals. She is also the top scorer for India with 153 runs in four innings.
Tahlia McGrath has been a consistent contributor in both departments. She has slammed 126 runs and scalped six wickets in the tournament.
Match Details
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
Date & Time: August 7 at 9:30 PM IST
Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV App
Pitch Report
Edgbaston is a batting-friendly surface and there exists no room for error for the bowlers. Teams have looked to bat first and post a big score at this venue.
CREX XI Suggestion
Wicket-Keeper: Alyssa Healy
Batters: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning
All-Rounders: Tahlia McGrath, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma
Bowlers: Darcie Brown, Renuka Singh, Megan Schutt
Captain: Smriti Mandhana
Vice-Captain: Tahlia McGrath
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