The India women’s team will be hoping shrug off their loss in the warm-up game and begin afresh when they take on Australia women in the first of the three ODIs in Mackay on Tuesday.

The strict quarantine rules in Australia make it tougher for the visiting players to tune their body and mind to the desired levels and that is as big a challenge for the Indians as the strong Australian line-up. Seniors Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami will have to take the lead in helping the others get into the right mindset in what is going to be a very challenging assignment.

On paper, India have the strength to take on Australian might. The fine mix of experience and young talent give the team the required flexibility. Much will depend on how Mithali, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma perform at in the batting department, while on the bowling front, Jhulan and leg-spinner Poonam Yadav are expected to shoulder much of the responsibility.

In the practice match, India had failed to chase down a 279-run target. Leg-spinner Yadav was the most successful bowler claiming three wickets, while Pooja Vastrakar (57) and Deepti Sharma (49 not out) had attempted a fightback with the bat.

Match starts: 5.35am IST (Tuesday)