Navi Mumbai: Having miraculously navigated their way to the semifinals, host nation India, with the fervent backing of nearly 55,000 passionate fans, is set to face formidable Australia in a blockbuster 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup semifinal at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.
There’s a slight apprehension regarding rain impacting the crucial match, with the IMD forecasting a partly cloudy sky and isolated spells of rain or thundershowers, though a complete washout appears unlikely.
Historically, Australia holds a significant advantage, having triumphed in 49 of 60 Women’s ODI encounters against India, including three World Cup victories. However, India’s memorable upset in the 2017 semifinal at Derby, propelled by an extraordinary innings from Harmanpreet Kaur, serves as a powerful reminder. Notably, Australia has remained undefeated in World Cup knockout matches since then.
If any player is capable of replicating such a match-winning performance, it is vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. Just four runs shy of 1,000 ODI runs against Australia, Mandhana has been in exceptional form. Prior to the World Cup, she blazed back-to-back centuries in a home series, scoring a 77-ball ton in Chandigarh and a blistering 50-ball century in Delhi. After a cautious start to the tournament, Mandhana has emerged as the leading run-scorer with 365 runs in seven matches at an impressive average of 60.83, including one century and two fifties.
A significant setback for India is the injury to young opening partner Pratika Rawal, who has accumulated 308 runs in six matches at an average of 51.33. Their formidable opening partnership, which yielded 1,799 runs in 23 innings at 78.21, including a record-breaking 212-run stand against New Zealand at this very venue, will be sorely missed. Mandhana will now open alongside Shafali Verma, a dynamic but often inconsistent batter.
India might consider reintroducing left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who impressed with figures of 3 for 30 and a direct-hit run-out against Bangladesh. The team management has, until now, favored Sneh Rana, who conceded 0-85 against Australia earlier in the tournament.
The team will be hoping for captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has managed only 151 runs in seven matches at 25.16, to regain her scoring touch. Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 76 off 55 balls against New Zealand was a much-needed boost, while Deepti Sharma, with 15 wickets at 22.46 and 133 runs at 26.60, remains a pivotal all-rounder.
A minor fitness concern also hovers over wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, who trained on Tuesday but opted for rest on the eve of the match.
On what is expected to be a batting-friendly pitch, India may opt to bat first and set a challenging total against an Australian attack that, while strong, might be less threatening on such a surface. This strategy comes despite a previous league stage loss where India failed to defend 330 runs in Vizag.
However, defeating Australia will be far from straightforward. The seven-time champions delivered a crushing blow to South Africa in their last match, bowling them out for just 97, largely thanks to Alana King’s exceptional spell of 7 for 18. With 13 wickets in six matches at an average of 12.92, her wrist spin poses a significant threat.
Australia’s camp is closely monitoring captain Alyssa Healy’s calf injury. Head coach Shelly Nitschke stated, “She trained well yesterday. We’ll give her as much time as she needs before the game.” Healy’s young opening partner, Phoebe Litchfield, who has amassed 503 runs in eight ODIs against India at 63.50, also has a strong record against the Indian side.
Despite remaining unbeaten throughout the league stage, Nitschke acknowledged the nature of knockout cricket: “Semifinals are anyone’s game. It’s a pretty level playing field. The team that holds its nerve under pressure will come out on top.”