PRE MATCH ANALYSIS
Follow Us20th July 2017: The County Ground in Derby witnessed one of the most scintillating knocks in the history of women's cricket as Harmanpreet Kaur created history to power India to the summit clash at the Home of Cricket. After a brief delay to start the proceedings courtesy of a rain delay, it was raining boundaries and sixes as Harmanpreet etched her name in the record books en route to her marathon knock on an unbeaten 171.
An innings that ensured millions of people stand and applaud the skills on display in the women's arena whilst creating a revolution for women's sport, especially in India.
It has been over four years to the semi-finals of the last edition of the extravaganza, but the Australian unit is still reeling under the marathon knock of the right-handed batter that resulted in a 36-run defeat against their nemesis.
"It reshaped our values and how we want to play our brand of cricket."
In a pre-match conversation with ESPN Cricinfo ahead of the high-voltage clash on Saturday, 19th March, at Eden Park, Tahlia McGrath shared insights on the loss and the changes they incorporated in this marquee event.
Well, the wonder-kid of Australian cricket isn't too wrong as the mighty Aussies have revamped their style of play and adopted a fearless brand of cricket, making them the favourites to lift the title this season.
Ever since the completion of the 2017 World Cup, Australia, under the astute leadership of Meg Lanning, have lost only two games in the 37 matches played thus far.
On their tour to India in the following year, Australia won the first game at Vadodara to kickstart their dominance in this format and create a world record of winning 26 matches on the trot till September 2021.
Despite their unbeaten streak coming to an end courtesy of the Indian side's two-wicket win in the last league match of their tour Down Under, the Women in Blue have blown Hot and Cold in this edition of the mega event.
While they started the tournament as one of the favourites to reach the knockout stages of the competition, India are battling for survival and need a rejigged approach in their final three league matches.
India's far too often batting collapse could lead to their downfall
Over the years, the Indian batting unit has relied heavily on their skipper Mithali Raj to anchor the innings and guide the inexperienced batting line-up in the pressure situation.
However, the 39-year old has endured a tough start in the four matches of the World Cup and will head into this crucial encounter aiming to find some form and help India score a mammoth first inning total or get the team over the line.
Despite the talk about her strike rates in the middle overs, India have unable to bat their quota of overs if Mithali is dismissed cheaply, which is an area of concern for the team management.
While the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet have shouldered the responsibility with the bat in the first four games, the Indian team would hope for their skipper to find some form in what could probably be her last shot at the World Cup.
Can India make Jhulan Goswami's 200th game special?
And speaking about Mithali and her final flourish, there is another remarkable player in the Indian camp that deserves all the accolades coming her way. The torch-bearer of women's cricket for over two decades, Jhulan Goswami has been breaking records all through this World Cup.
After becoming the first women's cricket to scalp 250 ODI wickets and the leading wicket-taker in the history of the quadrennial event, the 39-year old will set foot at Eden Park in Auckland for her 200th ODI game. The right-arm pacer will only be the second player to achieve this feat behind her skipper and teammate Mithali.
Selection conundrum for the Women in Blue
While the right-arm pacer has never been fascinated by milestones, the two stalwarts of Indian cricket, along with the team management, will have their task cut out as they decide to finalise on the team ahead of this clash.
With a plethora of former international players calling for the inclusion of Shafali Verma in the playing XI, it will be interesting to see the tactics deployed by the Women in Blue.
The Indian side can opt for Shafali at the top of the order in place of Deepti Sharma, who endured a lukewarm performance in the first half of the competition.
The off-spinner has scalped two wickets at an average of 49.5 and an economy rate of 4.7 runs per over in the middle overs, which is the worst among players with a minimum of 20 overs in this World Cup.
With the likes of Sneh Rana and Harmanpreet Kaur possessing the same skill set, India would be tempted to field the X-factor of Shafali Verma to derail the bowling plans of the Aussies early in the innings.
Despite the two sides being on the opposite ends of the spectrum, considering Australia's dominance and India's scratchy campaign, it promises to be a Saturday blockbuster as two heavyweights of world cricket lock horns with a side inching to secure their semi-finals spot and another battling for survival.
Probable XI:
India: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Shafali Verma/Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sneh Rana
Australia: Meg Lanning (Captain), Rachael Haynes (vice-captain), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt
