India Women vs Australia Women, 5th T20I: The Aussies Have a Significantly Stronger Batting Unit on Paper

• Australia women enjoy immense success against India as well, having won 21 out of 29 T20I matches. 

• Australia have won eight of the last nine completed T20I matches against India. 

• The Aussies have a significantly stronger batting unit on paper. 

India Women vs Australia Women Odds

India Women vs Australia Women Prediction and Pick

India and Australia have competed against each other in 29 women's T20 internationals. Australia women lead the rivalry by a huge margin, having won 21 matches compared to India's seven. Like we said previously, India women do have quality on their side but Australia are just better, mentally and skill-wise. We predict Australia Women to win the 5th T20I on Tuesday.

Predicted XI 

India Women: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Devika Vaidya, Renuka Singh, Radha Yadav, Anjali Sarvani

Australia Women: Alyssa Healy/Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney (wk), Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda Wellington, Darcie Brown, Alana King, Megan Schutt

India Women in With a Chance Against Healy-Less Australia

In a series where most matches have gone to the very end, enthralling the packed arenas, India and Australia women will meet one more time in the fifth T20I. With Australia securing the series by 3-1, India will look to narrow the gap when they take on the world champions at Brabourne Stadium on December 20th. 

The fourth T20I on Saturday saw Australia overcome the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side by 7 runs to clinch the series. Batting first, Beth Mooney was dismissed early after an uncharacteristic knock. Alyssa Healy looked in great touch but sustained a calf strain and had to walk off at the end of the powerplay for 21-ball 30.

It was Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry who provided Australia a much-needed stability and that too at a great pace. The pair added 94 runs for the fourth wicket in 9.5 overs before Gardner was dismissed for 42 off 27. Perry continued her new-found aggression and smashed an unbeaten 72 off 42. Grace Harris also provided great power at the end with 27* off just 12 as they posted a huge 188/3. 

India lost their top three inside seven overs with the scoreboard reading 49. Kaur and Devika Vaidya (32 off 26) then stitched together a 72-run partnership to keep India in the game. Harmanpreet's dismissal on 46 off 30 was a big blow to the hosts. 

Richa Ghosh was India's last hope and the youngster kept those alive till the final over. Ghosh hammered 40 off just 19 balls and took Heather Graham to journey in the penultimate over. But eventually, Megan Schutt held her nerves to clinch the win. 

Team News

India made one change in the previous game, bringing in all-rounder Harleen Deol for Rajeshwari Gayakwad, although she got to do neither. India will need more from Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, the latter in particular has had a terrible series. Harmanpreet and Richa Ghosh have been superb in the middle and lower order. The bowling unit, comprising Renuka Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, and Deepti Sharma, has done well in patches but has also leaked runs in middle and end overs. 

Australia might well be without their stand-in skipper Alyssa Healy, who had to retire hurt during the fourth game with calf strain. Phoebe Litchfield is likely to get an opportunity at the top in that case. The likes of Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, and Annabel Sutherland form a destructive batting line-up. In the bowling unit, Amanda Wellington might get an opportunity while one of Darcie Brown or Megan Schutt could also be rested. 

Key Players 

Harmanpreet Kaur has found form in the last couple of games, scoring 37 off 27 and 46 of 30. The Indian captain has the ability to win matches single-handedly and looked pretty threatening in the fourth game. Harmanpreet has amassed 2819 runs in T20I cricket at an average of 28 with eight fifties and a hundred. 

Ashleigh Gardner possesses the skill set to impact matches with both bat and ball, which is what she did in the fourth game after a quiet few games. The all-rounder smashed 42 in 27 balls and then picked 2 for 20 off four overs with the ball. Gardner was the player of the tournament in the recent WBBL, where she struck 339 runs at 151 strike rate while bagging 23 wickets at 6.63 rpo. 

Match Details

What: India Women vs Australia Women, 5th T20I

Where: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

When: December 20, 2022 / 8:30 AM EST 

How to watch:

• Star Sports Network/Disney+ Hotstar (India)

• SportsMax (Caribbean)

• Fox Sports & Channel 7 (Australia)

• Sky Sport NZ (New Zealand)

• SuperSport (South Africa)

• Willow TV (USA)

• Sky Sports Cricket (United Kingdom)