India Women vs Australia Women 1st T20I: Australia Women Dominate the Rivalry

• Australia women dominate the rivalry with 18 wins out of 25 T20I matches. 

• Australia women have defeated India in all of the last five completed T20 matches. 

• Both teams have won their previous four respective T20s.  

India Women vs Australia Women Odds

India Women vs Australia Women Prediction and Pick

India and Australia women have faced each other in 25 T20 internationals, with Australia dominating the scoreline. They have won 18 T20Is while India have claimed only six. Australia will be without their regular skipper Meg Lanning but still have a strong side. We predict Australia Women to win the 1st T20I on Friday.  

Predicted XI 

India Women: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Renuka Singh, Meghna Singh, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 

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

Australia Women Slight Favourites as Both the Teams Begin Their Prep for the Upcoming T20 World Cup

India and Australia women have engaged in quite a few high-profile matches in recent times. Australia women are on the tour of India for a five-match T20I series as the two teams start building towards the 2023 T20 World Cup. The first match will take place at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on Friday, December 9th. 

This will be Australia's first assignment since their triumph in the Commonwealth Games, where they went unbeaten. The dominant force was pushed to the limits by India in both games. Australia defeated India, Barbados, and Pakistan in the group stage before edging out New Zealand by five wickets in the semi-final. 

Beth Mooney starred in the final with a 41-ball 61 while Meg Lanning made 36 as they posted 161/8 on the board. Jemimah Rodrigues (33) and Harmanpreet Kaur put India in a strong position but Australia turned things around at the back end. Once Kaur was dismissed for 65 off 43, the match was pretty much done. 

India women clinched the women's Asia Cup title in October while keeping their focus on trying out as many players as they could. They topped the group with five wins out of six games before hammering Thailand by 74 runs in the semi-final. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side then faced Sri Lanka in the final, restricting them to just 65 and chasing it down in 8.3 overs. 

Team News

India Women have picked a strong side for this series led by Harmanpreet Kaur. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma form a solid opening duo with Jemimah Rodrigues and Kaur to follow. Richa Ghosh has been recalled to take the gloves and will play a crucial role down the order. Deepti Sharma continues to be a key figure with her all-around skill set, especially with improved batting returns this year. In the pace bowling unit, India will rely on Renuka Singh and Meghna Singh while Radha Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad both could play. 

Australia will be led by Alyssa Healy, with Meg Lanning on an indefinite break for mental health. Healy will be partnered with ever-dependent Beth Mooney at the top. The middle order will have power hitters such as Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, and Grace Harris. There are a couple of spots up for grabs, which could go to Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland. Along with several of these all-rounders, they have Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown as frontline pacers while Jess Jonassen and Alana King lead the spin department. 

Key Players 

Smriti Mandhana is amongst the best players in the world and has a terrific record in international T20s. The left-hand batter has scored 2437 runs at an average of 27.38 while striking at 123, including 18 fifties. In her previous nine games, Mandhana has averaged 44 and has struck at 135, which includes a 25-ball 51* in the Asia Cup final. 

Beth Mooney is basically a synonym for consistency in this sport. She has an outrageous record in the shorter format for country or club. In T20I cricket, the left-hander has scored 1893 runs at an average of 38 while striking 123, including two hundreds and 13 fifties. Mooney ended up as the highest run-getter in the recent WBBL season, smashing 434 runs at 43 average and 120 strike rate. 

Match Details

What: India Women vs Australia Women, 1st T20I

Where: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai

When: December 9, 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)