Presenting you yet another pre-match analysis of India Women’s group stage match, to be played against Australia Women. Women in Blue are all set to meet the strongest contenders to win this women’s world cup in the 23rd game of the mega event at County Ground, Bristol.
Bristol is the same venue where Australia lost a thriller to England in their last outing while India are yet to play on this ground. Thus, Australians are at advantage of being familiar with the pitch and playing conditions over here.
Both the teams have won four out of their five fixtures so far. While India lost to their South African counterparts, Australia Women lost against their arch rivals, England.
As a result of this, England, Australia and India having same points(8) but separated by net run rate, stand at 1st, 2nd and 3rd position respectively in the points table.
Winners of the last edition of the Women’s World Cup, Australia Women have won the tournament for six (6) times till date, being the highest number of title wins by any country. Their dominance continues in this edition too, as except England, none of the other contenders has been successful in giving them a real challenge so far.
India has faced Australia on eleven (11) occasions in Women’s World Cup till date. Out of these, it has managed to win only two (2) games. Summary of head on matches between the two in the last three World Cups is as follows :-
1. 2012/13 – Had not played each other
2. 2008/09 – played 2 matches and both were won by India Women
3. 2004/05 – Group stage match was abandoned and Final match was won by Australia Women.
In Women’s international ODIs, Australia Women have won most of the matches while India has won on a few occasions.
Australia Women have been winning most of their matches due to overall performance of their unit as a team. No one player can be credited for their success in this edition of World Cup. Some of the key players are :-
1. Openers Nicole Bolton and Beth Mooney are giving a good start in almost every match
2. Skipper Meg Lanning is leading the team from front
3. Ellyse Perry is in golden form. On one hand strengthening the middle order batting and on the other, picking up crucial wickets for her team
4. Bowling department is led by Kristen Beans who has taken 9 wickets in this tournament.
5. Ashleigh Gardner has bowled highly economically so far.
6. Elyse Villani, Alex Blackwell and Alyssa Mealy are other players to watch out for.
For India, captain Mithali Raj and senior most Jhulan Goswami are the most important assets. These two players have played a good amount of cricket against Australia and their experience will surely come handy in this game.
Also Ekta Bisht has performed remarkably well against the Ashes.
All the eyes will be set on young sensations Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma. Their performance will be based on how they handle the pressure of responsibility in today’s game.
Punam Yadav has the capability of destroying the opposition’s batting line up with her accurate bowlings.
Harmanpreet Kaur can be a surprise package on her day.
If we analyse the result impact of today’s game, it is evident that the winner will book its semi-final berth for sure. In an another match, England will clash with New Zealand and the winner in that game too, will enter semi-finals.
The losing teams will not only have to win their last group match but also hold-on to their nerves for the results of matches of other teams.
In a way, today’s India Women Vs Australia Women is a decider and thus is a must watch. So, don’t miss the live action from 3PM onwards only on Star Sports and Hotstar.
‘Gully’ cricket player and close observer of Indian Cricket team and it’s matches. Straight forward and still socially admirable personality. Strong belief in teamwork and possess high leadership skills.
