3 player battles to watch out for in the 5th IND vs AUS T20I
India Women will play for pride when they take on Australia Women in the fifth and final T20I at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, December 20.
Having come agonizingly close to leveling the series in the last match, India fell short by a margin of seven runs. Australia have held their nerve in key moments and won the battles thus far, seeing them through to yet another series victory.
Australia will be without skipper Alyssa Healy, who has been ruled out of the final game owing to a calf strain. Tahlia McGrath will deputize in her place, while Beth Mooney will again don the wicketkeeper's gloves.
JUST IN: Tahlia McGrath confirms Alyssa Healy has been ruled out of the final #INDvAUS T20I
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Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will be keen to pull one back against the Australians and generate a good head of steam ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup, which will be played in South Africa in March 2023.
On that note, let us look at three player battles that could define which way the last T20I shapes.
#1 Renuka Singh vs Ellyse Perry
Ellyse Perry appreciation post 🤩
72no off 42 balls... with four sixes! #INDvAUS https://t.co/HTSRm8yUjf
Ellyse Perry has come out meaning business in this series. With back-to-back half-centuries in the last two T20Is, the veteran all-rounder has reminded the world that she is very much around in this format despite Australia producing one maverick player after another.
There is a chance that she could open the batting in the fifth T20I in Healy's absence and that puts Renuka Singh Thakur into play for the hosts. Given her natural ability to swing the new ball, she will be tasked with breaching Perry's defense in the powerplay.
In fact, Harmanpreet turned to her in the 12th over of the last T20I to cash in on a string of tight overs, but Renuka wasn't able to deliver. Irrespective of which phase of the innings it is, there is no doubt that this battle could prove to be pivotal in the context of the game.
#2 Smriti Mandhana vs Ashleigh Gardner
Smriti Mandhana showed her brilliance in the tense Super Over 🫡
#INDvAUS
https://t.co/y5kv5KmxmC
As far as the Indian team is concerned, there's an inevitable sense of over-reliance on Smriti Mandhana. With the superstar opener failing to lay down a marker in the last couple of games, it has automatically coincided with two failed run-chases.
Mind you, while the likes of Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Richa Ghosh have made their presence felt, a lot comes down to the impact Mandhana makes at the top of the order. Ashleigh Gardner rendered that moot in the fourth T20I, getting one to spin and bounce enough to catch the outside edge.
Stand-in Australian skipper Tahlia McGrath could use that match-up once again in the fifth T20I and have her ace all-rounder slow the pace down against the southpaw. This could well prove to be another defining battle as India look to pull one back against the visitors.
#3 Deepti Sharma vs Grace Harris
Grace Harris, what a fearless beast. Incredible display of power-hitting.
With a blistering T20I strike rate of 170.28, Grace Harris is easily one of the most powerful strikers in the women's game. She has given a good account of the same thus far against India too in the death overs, a phase where the hosts turn to Deepti Sharma.
Deepti tends to float the ball wide of the off stump and forces the batter to reach for it. However, with no boundary in the world big enough for Harris, the ace India all-rounder will have her task cut out in the fifth T20I at the Brabourne Stadium.
India's bowlers have been guilty of letting Australia off the hook from a position of strength. That is the last thing they can afford against a belligerent finisher like Harris and all eyes will be on whether Deepti can tie her down in the slog-overs or not.
Can India eke out a win in the final T20I against Australia? Let us know in the comments section below!
Also read: Smriti Mandhana's 5 best knocks under pressure in white-ball formats