It's time for the clash of Titans as India Women take on Australia Women in a crunch game at the beautiful Eden Park in Auckland on March 19, 2022. Australia already have one foot in the semis and will be eager to continue their winning momentum against a stuttering Indian side.
Led by Mithali Raj, team India is currently placed at the fourth position in the points table and have to win at-least two of their remaining three games to have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. Now talking about the Aussies, they are on a roll at the moment. Having won four out of four, momentum is with Australia and Meg Lanning and her troops start as the favourites for this battle.
The Women in Blue were folded away easily in their previous encounter by the England Women. After a thumping victory against West Indies, India were brought down to Earth by a clinical bowling display by the defending champions. However, their bowling showed grit and determination and almost pulled off an unlikely victory.
The team management have some issues to deal with, especially in the batting department. Barring Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, no other batter has shown confidence. Skipper Mithali Raj is woefully out of form and this is a bad news for team India. The top order has hardly laid a strong foundation and the big question is- Will Shafali Verma make her return at the top of the order for this crucial encounter?
On the other hand, the Aussie Women's team have shown no mercy to their opponents. They have cruised to the victory line in all the matches they have played so far. They have steam rolled every opposition and hardly have any chinks in their armour. In their last game against West Indies Women, Australia showed their all-round strength and rather comfortably won the game by 7 wickets.
Australia Women are yet to taste a defeat in the tournament and will have no fear in facing the Indian attack. All their batters are in good touch and bowlers are doing their job as well. Ashleigh Gardner’s inclusion has given more balance and stability to the team. Darcie Brown is expected to make a comeback after being rested in the previous match.
Match Details:
India Women vs Australia Women- Match 18
Date and Time- March 19, 2022, 6:30 AM IST
Venue- Eden Park, Auckland
Broadcast- Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 3, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report:
Eden Park is going to host its first game in the ongoing tournament. The pitch is fresh and will help the seamers which have some moisture on it. The average score batting first is hovering around 260. Toss-winning captain will bowl first.
Weather Conditions:
According to the forecasts, it will be gloomy and there will be some rain stoppages during the match time. Let's hope that it doesn't affect the end result.
Squads:
India Women
Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Mithali Raj (c), Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shafali Verma, Poonam Yadav, Taniya Bhatia, Renuka Singh.
Australia Women
Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy (wk), Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Grace Harris, Nicola Carey, Amanda Wellington, Darcie Brown.
Probable Playing XI
India Women
Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Mithali Raj (c), Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad.
Australia Women
Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy (wk), Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Darice Brown, Alana King, Megan Schutt.
CE Fantasy XI
Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Megan Schutt.
Captain- Smriti Mandhana
Vice-Captain- Alyssa Healy