India Face Stern Test Against Australia in Semifinal

Navi Mumbai: Hosts India, who luckily remain alive in the tournament, will be looking for a spark of magic reminiscent of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s legendary knock eight years ago when they take on mighty Australia in the blockbuster Women’s World Cup semi-final here on Thursday.

Kaur’s 115-ball 171 not out against Australia in Derby, England, in 2017 was a seminal moment that catapulted women’s cricket from footnotes to headlines.

Victory against the seven-time world champion will not only fuel India’s campaign but also boost belief that an elusive ICC crown is within reach.

For a team that has flirted with inconsistency, Thursday’s match offers India a chance to beat one of the sport’s most dominant sides.

India’s campaign has been as grueling as it gets for a World Cup hosting country; especially at a time when the team was fighting for a place in the semi-finals and had its back firmly against the wall after three defeats on the trot. However, they lost a key batsman in Pratika Rawal due to injury.

There is no room for error now as India remain in the ring with each of their opponents who have outplayed them in the league encounters.

But before taking to the field, India will face some major questions in determining their team combination.

The inclusion of big-hitting Shafali Verma, who is neither in India’s plans nor among the six substitutes, actually adds more fuel to the fire.

But her record with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana – 893 runs in 25 innings at 37.20 – appears lower than Rawal and Mandhana’s 1,799 runs in 78.21 in 23 innings as the opening pair.

Should India select Shafali, whose aggressive style can put pressure on opponents and can match Mandhana’s rich form and show determination to deliver rich results, or should they select Harleen Deol as the opener to make room for a sixth bowler? This is perhaps the most difficult question facing the locker room.

Harleen’s 169 runs at 75.11 without scoring a fifty in seven matches does not promise fireworks, but her penchant for staying at the crease could ensure India’s solidity at the top and also provide Mandhana with the familiar cushion that Rawal provides from the other end.

Despite forecasts of unseasonal rainfall, the course remains a batting paradise and scoreboard pressure may not work as effectively on the chasing end.

Additionally, India should opt for left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who was excellent against Bangladesh in fielding and accurate in her bowling, especially against Sneh Rana, who made 201 runs for one wicket in the last three matches.

Having largely failed with the bat, Kaur would surely look to draw on that brutal attack against Australia eight years ago for inspiration, as there is no doubt that India need something special to beat their toughest opponent.

A lot will depend on Mandhana, who has played a leading role in India’s bid for a maiden World Cup title across the formats with a century and two fifties for 365 runs at 60.83 and has been at the top of the batting charts with a dominant performance in recent matches.

On the contrary, Australia has once again become the epitome of performance and excellence.

There is hardly another team that can match their skill or tenacity, but it all depends on how good a team is on the day and Australia know that a brave India gives nothing away.

When challenged, as against Pakistan or England, Australia staged these tackles that reflected their deep determination and a dressing room full of talent.

And when unchallenged, as against South Africa in Indore, Australia not only took the first shots but also completely overwhelmed their opponents.

On Tuesday, Alyssa Healy trained to prove her fitness after missing matches against England and South Africa, while Beth Mooney also took part in the training session, which included goalkeeping training.

Healy wants his regular skipper to remain in the mix, having scored centuries in each of the last two matches against Australia, Bangladesh and India, as Healy looks to build on a comeback in the semi-finals.

Phoebe Litchfield, who made an unbeaten 84 against lowly Bangladesh, has been in ordinary form this World Cup but as an exponent of the reverse swing, she was looking forward to a better game against India.

Of course, there must be some concern about the form of Tahlia McGrath, who has featured alongside Healy in the last two games but has just 43 runs in six matches.

But in Ashleigh Gardner (265 runs, 7 wickets, including two tons), Annabel Sutherland (114 runs and 15 wickets) and Alana King (13 wickets and 55 runs), Australia have a long list of players up to the 11th over who could stage comebacks that could impact results.

Teams (sender):

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Harleen Deol, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav.

Australia: Alyssa Healy (c&wk), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Sophie Molineux, Annabel Sutherland, Darcie Brown, Megan Schutt, Georgia Wareham.

The match starts at 15:00 (IST).