“Australia have troubled India a lot” - Aakash Chopra previews IND-W vs AUS-W Commonwealth Games 2022 match
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has admitted that Australia women have had the edge over India women heading into the Commonwealth Games 2022 clash on Friday (July 29). He, however, batted for India women to put up a good showing, considering they have been a team on the rise in recent years.
India women will face Australia women in the first match of the Commonwealth Games 2022 cricket competition at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India have won only six and lost 16 of the T20 games they have played against Australia. In the 2020 T20 World Cup final, Australia thumped India by 85 runs in Melbourne.
Previewing the India-Australia match at CWG 2022, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:
“Australia have troubled India a lot. They are a genuine super power when it comes to women’s cricket. At one point, it looked like only Australia and England played women’s cricket to win, the rest were just there to participate. But things have changed. India women also play with a lot of swag.”
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India head into the Commonwealth Games on a high, having registered series wins over Sri Lanka in T20Is and ODIs in their previous assignment.
“They know how to win matches” - Anjum Chopra on why Australia pose a major threat to India in Commonwealth Games 2022 clash
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Previewing the match, former India women’s captain Anjum Chopra also admitted that Australia have the advantage because they are a champion side that know how to win from any situation.
She stated:
“The biggest threat from Australia is that they are a World Cup-winning team. They are the title holders in the 50-over and T20 World Cup. They know how to win matches. Their record over India is very good. They know how to pull off a win from the toughest of circumstances.”
Stating what should be India’s mantra for victory, Chopra said that the Women in Blue must look to bat first and put pressure on the opposition. She elaborated:
“If India bat first, they will need to put up a big score. We have a good bowling line-up, but Australia’s bowling is far better than India's and far more experienced. They also have stronger power hitters. So, India must look to score big batting first and then defend the total.”
The India-Australia clash marks the return of cricket to the Commonwealth games. A men’s tournament was held in 1998 in the 50-over format.
India women’s Commonwealth Games 2022 schedule:
July 29 vs Australia Women (1st Match, Group A)
July 31 vs Pakistan Women (5th Match, Group A)
August 3 vs Barbados Women (10th Match, Group A)
(All matches will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham.)
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