India and Australia have always been the fiercest of rivals. It doesn’t matter which format, gender or level they are they playing at. From the U-19’s to the men’s team, Whenever these teams encounter each other, they try their best to dominate and One-up against the opposition. The finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be no different as faces host’s Australia take on Harmanpreet Kaur’s India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s team has had an incredible tournament being the only undefeated team it the tournament so far. Walking into their maiden final appearance in the Women’s T20 World Cup, the Indian team will be rearing to make the most of it and lift the coveted trophy.
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The 4 time champions Australia will be looking to defend their title and get crowned as World Champions for the 5th time. Australia’s only loss in the tournament has come against India in their tournament opener and the Aussies will be eyeing their revenge at the biggest stage possible of the tournament. Here we look at 3 advantages India’s holds which will help them win the final.
The Spinners Web
Indian spinners have been excellent for the Harmanpreet Kaur led the team. Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav have been extremely successful in choking up oppositions, restricting the run flow and picking up crucial wickets in the middle overs to help the Indian team restrict oppositions to a low total. The fact that 21 of the 33 wickets scalped by the Indian team have come from spinners speaks volumes of their importance in the team.
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Frequency of play
The Indian team has been Australia for quite some time and have been accustomed to their conditions pretty well. India has also played Australia quite often in the recent past and has a good estimate of its opposition’s strengths and weaknesses. Having played them in the Aus-India- England Tri-series before the World Cup has been highly beneficial for the sub-continent team.
India’s X factor – Shefali Verma
The youngest player in the tournament, Shefali Verma’s rise as a player has been a story within itself so far. Being just 16 years old, Shefali has been able to shoulder the responsibility thrown at her by the team management and succeeded exceedingly well.
The squash-buckling player walked into the team with a reputation of knocking balls out of and has certainly lived upto them in the tournament. With 161 runs in four games at a staggering strike rate of 161, Shefali has exhibited her talent for the world to stare in awe of her brilliance.
In the process of doing so, She also ranked herself right upto the no 1 spot making her the highest-ranked batswomen in the ICC rankings. Not to forget she is JUST 16 !! With just a game to go, Kaur will be banking on Shefali’s skills to propel the Indian team and lift their maiden T20 World Cup crown.
