NEW DELHI: The Indian women's cricket team seeks to clinch a historic T20I series victory over Australia at home in the series-decider on Tuesday. The three-match series is leveled at 1-1 after the first two games.
Harmanpreet Kaur
's India has a chance to defeat the reigning world champions at home and kickstart the 2024 T20I World Cup year on a high note.
India have only one series win against Australia in their five-series bilateral T20I history, with the triumph coming in an away series in 2015-16. Despite this, India have shown great form, securing historic wins in one-off Tests against both Australia and England earlier in the season.
The first game saw India dominating and defeating Australia by a record margin of nine wickets, but the second match portrayed a different narrative as the batters struggled on a tricky pitch.
With the series finely poised, the DY Patil Stadium sets the stage for an intense battle on Tuesday.
While the Indian bowlers showcased discipline in the second game, the team's inconsistent fielding remains a concern. Captain Harmanpreet's own form with the bat is under scrutiny, as she has not scored a fifty in the past 10 matches across formats.
Despite the challenges, all-rounder
Deepti Sharma
stood out with a combative all-round performance in the second game, contributing significantly with both bat and ball.
Speaking about Kaur's form, Deepti emphasized that every player cannot have a good day every day, and the team is focused on playing according to the merit of the ball.
The pitches in the two T20Is so far have favored the bowlers, offering a good contest between bat and ball. The third T20I is expected to be a keenly contested match, with both teams eyeing a crucial series victory.
The Indian team will be eager to capitalize on their recent successes and make the most of this final opportunity in the home season.
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 (c&wk), Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney (wk), Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham.
Time: 7:00 PM IST.
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