India was whitewashed in the 3-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia, but with an emphatic win in the Twenty20 International (T20I) opener, Australia face a must-win in the 2nd T20I, at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on the 7th of January, 2024, at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
India – Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Mannat Kashyap, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Pooja Vastrakar, Kanika Ahuja, Minnu Mani
Australia – Darcie Brown, Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
Players to watch out:
Shafali Verma
The 19-year-old opening batter, with 66 T20I outings, has amassed 1578 runs, striking at 130.52 and registering the highest of 73. Shafali didn’t look at her fluent best when the international season resumed and was also sidelined from the ODIs, but returned with a blazing 44-ball 64* in the T20I opener, and it’ll be hoped she makes the most of this return to form.
Titas Sadhu
The 19-year-old pacer has scalped 8 wickets, averaging 8.25 and maintaining an economy rate of 4.40 from 5 outings. Titas was named in the squad for the marathon winter season series against England and Australia, but after 8 games, got a last-minute call-up for the T20I opener against Australia and impressed, rewriting her career best to 4/17. She’ll be relied upon for the goods.
Beth Mooney
The 29-year-old batter, in 84 T20I innings, has amassed 2525 runs, including the highest of 117* runs, at an average of 39.45 and a strike rate of 123.77. Following yet another successful season, Beth was expected to lead the charts in India but hasn’t been so. She has looked scratchy in this series but has managed a few starts, and it’ll be expected of her to capitalize on those.
Georgia Wareham
The 24-year-old leg-spinner, in T20Is, from 43 outings, has taken 45 wickets at an economy rate of 6.20 and registered the best of 3/12, while also chipping in with the bat, scoring 108 runs from 13 outings. Georgia was outstanding in the ODIs and carried forward the momentum into the T20Is, producing figures of 1/20 (3.4) on a batting deck. Her form will be crucial for the team.
Pitch:
The center wicket at DY Patil Stadium provides a well-balanced playing surface, slightly favoring the batters. Despite being good for batting, the average score in the 140s suggests that it’s got enough in it for bowlers as well, especially pacers.
Weather:
Despite cloudy overhead, the chances of rain are minimal, and the forecast promises a complete game of cricket in Navi Mumbai. The temperature is forecasted to hover around 27°C, with light winds and humidity at 50%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Titas Sadhu
Match details:
Date – January 7, 2024
Time – 7:00 PM IST
Venue – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on Jio Cinema and telecasted on DD Sports and Sports18.
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