Melbourne: Their batting woes sorted, India will fancy their chances of claiming the womenu2019s T20 tri- series when they face Australia in the summit clash here today.
After failing to fire in unison in their first three league matches, India produced a good batting show to record a seven- wicket win over Australia on Saturday, which took the Harmanpreet Kaur- led side into the final.
The two sides are on equal footing having won a match against each other in the double- legged league.
Senior opener Smriti Mandhana continued to be the batting bulwark along with Harmanpreet, but the most heartening thing was that Shafali Verma, 16, came good in the last game against Australia.
After two failures, Shafali ( 49) gave India a flying start and her innings contained eight fours and a six. Her senior opening partner Mandhana ( 55), on the other hand, anchored the chase with a solid knock that comprised seven boundaries. Jemimah Rodrigues also contributed with a quickfire 19- ball 30, while Harmanpreet chipped in with a run- a- ball 20 to help India chase down the target.
The Indian bowlers have been doing well in this tournament with the likes Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad producing consistent performances. In the penultimate league match against England, the Indian bowlers did well to not allow the opponents an easy win while defending a small total.
Australia got a boost after an easy win over England a day after losing to India. They have a strong batting line- up with opener Berth Mooney among runs and one- down Gardner in tremendous form. Key players Lanning and Ellyse Perry have also been in good touch. The only struggling batter has been the opener Alyssa Healy.
PTI India eves eye T20I tri- series honours in final against Australia India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur Live on tv Australia v India: Sony Six, Ten 3 & HD, 08: 10
