What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
BENGALURU: After pipping England by four runs in the semi-final, Indian Women are set to cross swords with the T20 champions Australia on Sunday in the final. Australia reached the final after defeating New Zealand by five wickets in the second semi-final.
India suffered their only defeat of the tournament at the hands of Australia – who are unbeaten in the tournament so far – in the first match of the CWG 2022. But since then, Indian Women have exhibited enormous pluck and stellar skills to win three consecutive matches against Pakistan, Barbados and England.
The Women in Blue must be gung-ho to come out all guns blazing and avenge their defeat in the group match. Their biggest strength is their opening pair – Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Both these batters are in exquisite form and are scoring heaps of runs at a brisk pace. Mandhana is the highest scorer in the tournament so far with 153 runs in 4 matches at a jaw-dropping strike-rate of 156.12. Verma has also blasted 122 runs in the tournament so far.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is a reliable force in the middle order, while Jemimah Rodrigues is playing the role of a finisher with panache. In fact, India’s batting line-up at the moment seems far more potent than Australia’s.
However, Australia’s strongest suit is their formidable bowling attack who are bowling with stupendous zing and bite. The variety in their bowling arsenal is another aspect which has troubled the batters of all teams in the tournament. While Megan Schutt is the spearhead of their pace attack, while Jess Jonassen is adroitly weaving a web of spin.
In their last match against Australia, Indian bowlers had razed Australia’s top-order but came unstuck against Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris – both of whom are fine all-rounders in this format. Tahlia McGrath is arguably their most impactful player at present as the all-rounder has come good with both bat and ball. The presence of so many all-rounders gives Australia a distinct advantage.
For India, Renuka Singh and Sneh Rana have been their best bowlers in the tournament so far. While Renuka, a medium-pacer, is snaffling wickets upfront, Rana is bowling with appreciable control and not giving an inch to batters in the middle overs.
Australia might start as favourites but India are also a well-rounded team with fine balance. The battle for gold promises to be a pulsating encounter.
