Star India batter Smriti Mandhana on Friday said the team is seeking to draw motivation from the performance on the 2021 tour of Australia when the two teams clash in a crucial Women’s ODI World Cup match here on Saturday.
In the series played last year, India lost 1-2 but ended Australia’s 26-match winning streak. India had also famously derailed Australia’s chances in the 2017 World Cup by beating them in the semi-finals.
“Everyone knows what happened in 2017. More than that, we discussed our last tour of Australia. We have done well against them and we almost won the series. That’s the brand of cricket we want to play and that has been our motivation,” she said at a virtual media interaction ahead of Saturday’s fixture.
The left-handed batter further said, “the girls are really motivated and everyone is pumped to go and get 2 points on board, knowing the situation of the tournament and how important this match is. The team psychologist has also helped in this regard.”
The Australia vs India game will be the first at Auckland’s Eden Park at this World Cup. Rain is forecast for Saturday, and Mandhana said India have that “at the back of our mind”.
Only a win for India can delay Australia’s entry into the semi-finals, while a loss would further dent, though not entirely wipe out, India’s chances of qualifying.
A no-result will leave Australia at the top of the table, while India will remain in fourth place. On the fitness of key batter Harmanpreet Kaur, Mandhana said “she is fit and available for tomorrow’s game.”
Mandhana, like Jhulan Goswami, backed all-rounder Deepti Sharma to make bigger contributions with the bat than her returns of 5, 15, and 0 that have followed her 40 in India’s tournament opener.
“See, when you come to a tournament or go to (bilateral) series, not all batters are going to be able to bat in a certain way,” Mandhana said.
“She (Deepti) scored a good 40 runs in the first match. But yeah, in last three matches, she was not able to contribute. But I’m sure that she’s just one game away from getting a good score.
“As a batting unit, we are just there to back everyone because it’s not that every day all the seven batters are going to click. So our thing is, whoever two or three (batters) are getting to time the ball well, it’s their responsibility to play the 50 years and get to a respectable total.”
About veteran bowler Jhulan Goswami’s 200th ODI match, Mandhana said: “It is a proud moment for all of us to be there for Jhulan di’s 200th match. She has been motivating us and also all the girls back home.”
She said Rachel Haynes was a key member of the Australian line-up and “she has been anchoring the innings for them. That’s why we’ll be looking to get her out early. She is a very experienced player and it will be an interesting battle.”
Pacer collapses
West Indies pacer Shamilia Connell collapsed on the field and had to be taken to the hospital during Bangladesh’s unsuccessful run chase in their World Cup match in Mount Maunganui on Friday. The cause of the collapse is not yet clear but Connell was able to get up and climb on to a waiting ambulance with her hands on her stomach after her concerned teammates ran towards her during the 47th over of Bangladesh innings.
At that point, the match was on a knife’s edge with Bangladesh's last-wicket pair trying to score the 13 they needed off 19 balls. Details of her health condition and availability for the remainder of the World Cup are awaited. West Indies won the match by four runs.
Match starts: 6.30am (IST), Live on Star Sports Network
