India, the hosts who are still in the tournament thanks to a bit of luck, will try to get the help of captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s legendary 171* against Australia in 2017 to get them through the tough semifinal match of the Women’s World Cup in Mumbai on Thursday. That incredible innings at Derby was the moment that really changed women’s cricket in India and it brought the whole next generation of fans and players.
India face selection dilemmas ahead of the semifinal showdown
An India victory against the seven-time world champions would not only revive their campaign but also raise their dream of winning the first-ever ICC crown to a whole new level. For a team that has struggled with inconsistency throughout the tournament, the match on Thursday is just the right moment to make a turnaround.
India’s path to the semifinals has been anything but easy. After losing three times in a row, the hosts managed to drag themselves into the knockout stage, however, the injury of key batter Pratika Rawal is a very significant setback. The return of power-hitter Shafali Verma to the squad has created a debate regarding team combination, whether it is better to unleash her aggressive intent at the top or to promote Harleen Deol for maintaining the balance and adding a sixth bowling option.
While the team is deciding on their next move, captain Harmanpreet Kaur will definitely be longing to get her sparkle back and show the way. With Smriti Mandhana hitting the ball beautifully and leading the batting charts with 365 runs at an average of 60.83, India will doubtless be very dependent on her steady flow of runs to hold the innings against the very tough Australian bowling attack.
Meanwhile, Australia are still the epitome of accuracy and efficiency. The possible comeback of leader Alyssa Healy, in addition to the all-round strength of Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, and Alana King, gives the Royals a very strong lineup to go against. For India, the main thing will be having faith in themselves plus a bit of that brilliance which turned everything upside down in 2017.
(With PTI Inputs)
